THE Commission on Elections is seeking an additional P1.3 billion to fund the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections next year, after over a billion pesos in preparatory expenses went to waste when the Supreme Court’s halted this year’s polls.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said on Tuesday that the poll body will write to Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Sherwin Gatchalian to request the increase as senators begin deliberations on Comelec’s 2026 budget.
‘We will try to convince Congress about what we still need now that the elections have been reset.Every postponement-whatever type of election-comes with a cost. When you reset one, some expenses are wasted, so you’ll have to ask for a new allocation. We estimate we’ll need about P1.3 billion more,’ Garcia told reporters in Pasay City.
Garcia explained that about P1.2 billion worth of election-related spending was rendered useless when the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the two laws that served as the legal basis for the polls.
To recall, the High Court 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, saying both violated the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
With no valid enabling law, the Comelec had no legal basis to push through with the parliamentary elections this year.
‘Remember, we had already deployed equipment and based our preparations on BAA 58, which the Supreme Court later struck down,’ Garcia said.
‘We had deployed election paraphernalia, machines, ballot boxes, and transmission devices. We also entered into lease contracts for all those materials and we’re still obligated to pay for them even if the elections didn’t proceed.’
Asked whether the polls would push through before March 31, 2026, Garcia said the Comelec would ‘comply with the directive of the Supreme Court,’ but emphasized that the timeline will depend on the actions of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).
‘Our compliance is anchored on the actions of the Bangsamoro Parliament, with all due respect. We can’t implement an election without the necessary law,’ Garcia said.
The Supreme Court earlier ordered the BTA to determine, by October 30, 2025, the parliamentary districts for the first regular election of Members of Parliament in accordance with the BOL.
However, Garcia said that based on Comelec’s dialogue with BTA members and other regional leaders, Congress must first pass a law setting the exact date of the Bangsamoro polls before the BTA can enact its own redistricting law.
‘It’s a bit complicated, and we don’t want this issue to turn into a blame game among institutions. We have to coordinate closely because this is about peace,’ Garcia said.
Despite the legal hurdles, Garcia assured the public that the Comelec is doing its best to comply with the Court’s directive to conduct the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections next year.
‘March 31 is our working timeline and as far as the Comelec is concerned, we will proceed,’ he said, adding that the poll body is also willing to assist in redistricting and amending the Bangsamoro Election Code if necessary.