The Supreme Court has effectively reset the first regular parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), ordering the polls to be conducted no later than March 31, 2026.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, October 1, Supreme Court Spokesperson Camille Ting said that the high court’s en banc session on Tuesday, September 30, declared two regional laws governing parliamentary districts-Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) 77 and BAA 58 -unconstitutional.
The high court also said that the parliamentary elections previously scheduled for October 13 cannot proceed due to the lack of a valid legal framework for defining electoral districts.
However, it ordered the Commission on Elections to proceed with preparations and conduct the first regular elections for the Members of the Parliament not later than March 31, 2026.
BAA 77 Voided. The Supreme Court also declared unconstitutional the BA77, the act which reorganized parliamentary districts to reallocate seats originally assigned to Sulu, was passed on Aug. 19, 2025, and signed on Aug. 28, 2025.
According to Ting, the act violated Section 5 of the Voters Registration Act, which prohibits the alteration of precincts once the election period has commenced.
She said that the act violated the Bangsamoro Organic Law requirement that districts must comprise adjoining areas.
‘Some local government units in Lano del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and Cotabato City were assigned to different districts that were neither contiguous nor adjacent,’ Ting said.
BAA77 reorganizes parliamentary districts within the BARMM to reallocate seats originally intended for Sulu, after the Supreme Court declared that it was not part of the BARMM.
BAA 53 was also voided. The Supreme Court also declared BAA 58, the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act of 2024, unconstitutional.
According to Ting, the high tribunal ruled that the nullification of BAA 77 does not revive the earlier law because BAA 58’s framework is now outdated.
BAA 58 still included Sulu in its parliamentary districts, a provision inconsistent with subsequent rulings removing Sulu from BARMM.
‘Since BAA 58 is based on an outdated framework following the removal of Sulu from BARMM, it cannot be reinstated,’ Ting said.
‘Rather, a new and valid districting law must be passed consistent with the Bangsamoro Organic Law, national laws, and the Constitution,’ she added.
The Supreme Court also has issued a mandate requiring the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to immediately determine and finalize the new parliamentary districts, ensuring full compliance with the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the court’s specified criteria by Oct. 30, 2025.