COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 22 November) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has denied the petitions for accreditation of six Regional Parliamentary Political Parties (RPPPs), among them the party of Indigenous Peoples and a settlers’ party.
This means these six party applicants cannot field candidates for party representation in the 1st Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on May 12, 2025.
Denied accreditation were the Indigenous People’s Democratic Party (IPDP), the United Advocates for Settler Communities (1ASC), Partido Bangon Bangsamoro, Amanat Democratic Party, Bangsamoro Democratic Party, and the Indigenous, Settlers, Sama and Minorities Alliance Party.
Sixteeen RPPPs filed petitions for accreditation/registration.
MP Froilyn Mendoza, among the founders of the IPDP, acknowledged the difficulty of establishing representation for indigenous groups like the Teduray or Manobo in Lanao del Sur, where majority of residents belong to the Meranaw tribe.
“We admit that it is so hard to organize in these areas where obviously there are no indigenous communities,” she said.
Ems Cordero, Vice President and spokesperson of the UASC, said they fell short of the required number of organized municipalities in Lanao del Sur.
“We are saddened to announce that we only have 10 municipalities so far in Lanao Del Sur. Because that’s the only place where our settler communities truly reside,” Cordero explained.
1ASC has established a presence in only 10 municipalities, while the requirement mandates organization in 21 municipalities within Lanao del Sur.
Despite the setback, they plan to file a Motion for Reconsideration (MR) to appeal the decision.
“We are still hoping to be accredited,” she said.
“This is the fate of most minority parties,” Cordero said.
Cordero said that if the BARMM elections will be reset, her party will petition to be granted another opportunity to participate in the process.
Senate President Chiz Escudero on November 4 filed Senate Bill 2862 resetting the date of the BARMM parliamentary polls from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026 to address the concerns on the possible disenfranchisement of voters in the Special Geographic Area in North Cotabato. The SGA comprises 63 barangays in what are now eight towns that have not been constituted into a province. The House of Representatives has yet to pass a law creating the proposed Kutawato province and another law creating a legislative district representing the new province.
Another concern raised by Escudero is the Supreme Court decision exclusing Sulu from the BARMM. He said this ruling “provides a compelling reason to postpone the Bangsamoro regular elections given its legal implications .”
“This ruling may require a substantial correction of existing laws, particularly RA No. 11054, and the Bangsamoro Pariiamentary Districts Act of 2024(BAA No. 58, 2024), referring to the allocation of the statutorily mandated eighty (80) seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament.
The bill also said “subsequent elections shall be held every three years thereafter.”
“We want to be included in another round of re-filing,” Cordero said.
“We will still work on re-submission of our petition and affirm our intention to be part of this first-ever parliamentary elections,” she stressed.
Earlier, Bangsamoro Electoral Office director Atty. Ray Sumalipao warned against nuisance candidates and political parties that fail to comply with the requirements set by the Comelec.
The BEO accepts the applications for accreditation/registration and makes its recommendations to the Comelec which approves or disapproves the application. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)
