MANILA, 12 August 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.

In a statement, the IEMC expressed strong support for COMELEC’s position to proceed with the BARMM Parliamentary Elections as scheduled, even if the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) enacts a redistricting and reapportionment law in the coming days or weeks. “With the province of Sulu no longer part of BARMM, proceeding with elections for the remaining 73 seats does not infringe on the right of suffrage of BARMM constituents,” the group stated. “Voting for these 73 seats constitutes a complete and legitimate exercise of suffrage within the region.”

The monitoring group emphasized that “further postponement of the elections would unjustly delay the establishment of an elected regional government—a key component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). The people of BARMM deserve leaders with a clear mandate from the electorate.”

In its dialogue with COMELEC, IEMC also raised concerns about unresolved electoral issues that could affect the credibility and outcome of the polls. These include the lack of clear guidance on the implications of “None of the Above” garnering majority votes, inconsistent enforcement of the 4% vote threshold for party representation, and misalignments in sectoral representation guidelines. “The Electoral Code and the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) do not provide clear guidance on the implications of ‘None of the Above’ garnering majority votes,” IEMC noted. “IEMC calls on COMELEC and BTA to jointly clarify and resolve this issue to avert failure of elections.”

On party representation, the group stated: “We note the varying interpretation and enforcement of the 4% vote threshold required for political parties to qualify for seats and will support the COMELEC guidelines on the issue.” Regarding sectoral representation, IEMC emphasized “the great and urgent need for the guidelines for the conduct of the assemblies to elect the sectoral representatives to be aligned with the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC) and its IRR.” It urged the BTA “to promptly address provisions in the guidelines that may be in conflict with the electoral code to ensure lawful and fair sectoral representation in the BARMM Parliament.”

IEMC reaffirmed its commitment to voter education and electoral integrity, pledging to support COMELEC and its deputized agencies in implementing information, education, and communication campaigns to ensure peaceful, fair, and credible elections. The group welcomed COMELEC’s plan to form provincial task forces headed by commissioners in BARMM’s five provinces.

“The IEMC expresses its gratitude to COMELEC for facilitating the dialogue with its members. This collaboration is vital to strengthening democratic processes and ensuring the success of the upcoming BARMM Parliamentary elections,” the statement concluded.

The IEMC is composed of eight organizations: Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation (NDBC), Notre Dame University (NDU), Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC), Coalition for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT), Climate Conflict Action, and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) Cotabato City.