DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 15 October) – Most ordinary people in Lanao del Sur, which is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), are not aware that they will have to fill out two ballots when they go to the polls on May 12 next year, an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said here over the weekend.
The first elections for the Bangsamoro Parliament will coincide with the country’s midterm polls.
Speaking to journalists during the training on Reporting the 1st BARMM Parliamentary Elections, lawyer Joyce Moran, provincial election supervisor of Lanao del Sur, said that aside from voting for senators, party-list representatives, House members, and other local officials, voters in BARMM will also elect members of the regional parliament.
There will be a separate ballot is for candidates for the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Moran said their limited budget has prevented them from reaching out to people in far-flung areas where social media is not accessible.
She said they are trying to remedy this shortcoming by joining the local government units in their events.
She clarified that she’s not sure if the situation in the other provinces of BARMM is similar to Lanao del Sur’s.
Moran added that, as observed in past elections, voters in Lanao del Sur are only keen on candidates for local positions.
According to the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, the parliament will comprise district representatives (40 percent), representatives from accredited regional parliamentary political parties that garner at least four percent of the votes cast for party representation (50 percent), and sectoral representatives (10 percent).
However, the election of sectoral representatives – at least eight reserved seats, according to the Bangsamoro Electoral Code – will be in 2028 yet. Sectoral representatives shall come from the non-Moro Indigenous Peoples, settler communities, women, youth, ‘Ulama, and traditional leaders.
Moran said that with the Supreme Court decision excluding Sulu province from BARMM there will be a redistricting, another development that many voters may not be aware of.
She said Sulu will be placed under Region 9 based on the decision of the Comelec chair, but that the poll body will defer to the SC.
The filing of certificates of candidacy for the regional parliamentary elections is from November 4 to 9. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)
