AT least P1 billion in election funds have gone to waste following the Supreme Court’s decision striking down two Bangsamoro redistricting laws, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Thursday.
The SC recently voided Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025, and BAA No. 58, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act of 2024, declaring both unconstitutional.
With no governing law in place, the Court said the poll body has no legal basis to proceed with the region’s parliamentary elections this month.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said all election materials deployed in the field will have to be returned to warehouses, while automated counting machines must be reconfigured.
Ballots, he added, will be destroyed because they no longer match any new redistricting law.
‘It is P1 billion and above because that already includes, of course, the printing of that many ballots. For the rentals, maybe we have not fully paid yet, but there are milestones.with partial payments. We have also procured other materials,’ Garcia said in a press conference.
Garcia stressed that the commission cannot prepare again until the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) enacts a new redistricting law.
‘All preparations have to start if there’s already a law. Maybe there are a few preparations we can do not related to the law, but most of Comelec’s activities are only when there is a statute because that’s where it is stated how the districts are divided,’ he said.
He also said the Comelec is willing to assist the BTA in drafting the new measure, but emphasized it will not influence parliament’s decision since it is under the latter’s ‘pure, absolute discretion.’
BTA to draft new law
Meanwhile, Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua vowed that parliament will immediately pass a new law so the elections can push through next year.
‘In full compliance with the Court’s directive, the Bangsamoro Government will immediately work to enact a new redistricting law-one that ensures meaningful representation, advances equitable development, and stands firmly on constitutional grounds,’ Macacua said in a statement.
He added that the BTA is ‘saddened by the delay’ but acknowledged that the buffer period could help ‘strengthen the integrity of our democratic process.’
‘We call on our partners, stakeholders, and the entire Bangsamoro community to remain united and steadfast as we navigate this challenge. Together, we will ensure that our first parliamentary elections are built on the strongest possible legal foundation-an enduring step towards peace, stability, and a stronger Bangsamoro,’ he said.
If the new redistricting law is enacted and survives constitutional scrutiny, the region’s first parliamentary elections are set to push through on March 31, 2026.