By BONG S. SARMIENTO
MindaNews
THE election period in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) officially started Thursday, August 14, with the gun ban immediately taking effect, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
On October 13, the Bangsamoro region, with registered voters of about 2.4 million, will conduct its historic parliamentary elections after having been postponed twice.
The Comelec’s Gun Ban and Security Concerns Committee (GSC) said the gun ban in the BARMM will be observed until October 28, 2025.
Unless authorized by the GSC, carrying of firearms and deadly weapons in all public places in the BARMM is prohibited even if he or she is licensed or authorized to possess or to carry the same, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said.
Individuals are also barred from employing the services of security personnel or bodyguards, and the transport and delivery of firearms, ammunition and explosives, and/or their components.
Citizens who wish to be exempted from the gun ban should apply with the Comelec.
Garcia said the application for gun ban exemption started last July 14 and will end on October 14, excluding weekends and holidays.
Under Comelec Resolution 11158, members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MILF), and other armed groups shall be subject to the same restrictions, including the decommissioning of firearms, during the election period unless authorized by the GSC.
Resolution 11158 involves the rules and regulations on the carrying of firearms and other deadly weapons, including explosives, and the employment of security services.
Members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine Coast Guard assigned in the Bangsamoro region may be exempted from the election gun ban, provided they obtain a Certificate of Authority from the Comelec, according to the resolution.
Violators may face imprisonment from one to six years (not subject to probation) and disqualification to hold public office and loss of the right to vote, the poll body said.
Under Comelec Resolution 11149, the campaign period would start on August 28 to October 11.
The absolute ban on release of public funds in the region, except for medical or burial assistance, would be from October 3 to 13.
On October 12, the eve of election day, a liquor ban would be implemented and campaigning is prohibited.
The Comelec set October 8 to 12 as the final testing and sealing of the automated counting machines that will be used for the BARMM.
The BARMM comprises the provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Lanao del Sur; the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato; eight towns from 63 villages in North Cotabato dubbed as Bangsamoro Special Geographic Area (SGA).
Sulu was initially part of the BARMM until the Supreme Court (SC) ruled against its inclusion in a unanimous decision in September 2024.
The SC ruling raised a lot of concerns because Republic Act 11054, the Organic Law for the BARMM, provides for an 80-seat parliament, 40 of them party representatives, 32 single districts and eight sectoral. Of the 32 districts, seven were allocated for Sulu.
The Bangsamoro Parliament’s committees on Amendments, Revision and Codification of Laws, and the local government have been tackling the redistribution of the seven seats allotted to Sulu.
Since the interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) was established in 2019, the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM was already postponed twice.
The first extension was granted during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, through Republic Act 11593 which moved the first parliamentary election from May 2022 to May 2025. The second postponement was approved by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., on February 21, 2025, through Republic Act 12123 which pushed back the election by five months to October 13.
