In Minute Resolution No. 25-1034, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) convened in executive session to assess the impact of the Supreme Court’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77 on the October 13, 2025 BARMM Parliamentary Elections. The TRO, which bars implementation of the district reallocation law, has halted key preparatory activities including assemblies, training, and logistics. Compounded by severe flooding in multiple BARMM municipalities and delays in Starlink equipment deployment, the Commission now faces legal ambiguity and operational gridlock. Citing force majeure under Section 5 of the Omnibus Election Code, COMELEC has called for stakeholder comments within 48 hours before deciding whether to postpone the elections to ensure a free, orderly, and credible process.

The Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC) has expressed full support for the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) decision to halt preparations for the October 13 Regional Parliamentary Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, pending clarification from the Supreme Court on its temporary injunction against BAA 77. In a statement released September 18, IEMC emphasized that neither BAA 77 nor the repealed BAA 58 provides a valid legal basis for the elections, and urged the Supreme Court, Comelec, and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to swiftly resolve the legal uncertainties to safeguard the integrity and timely conduct of the electoral process.

While headway was gained in the political track of the peace process where BARMM’s political institutions, laws and bureaucracy were put in place under the MILF-led Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the decommissioning of the MILF combatants has been painstakingly slow, tentative, and fraught with red flags, including the repeated and unilateral suspension of planned decommissioning processes and targets.

The Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC-BARMM) is ramping up preparations for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) first-ever parliamentary elections, set for October 13, 2025.

The Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC), a recognized monitoring group of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), met with COMELEC Chairman George Garcia and five commissioners today to dialogue on several critical issues ahead of the October 13, 2025 parliamentary elections.

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