Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains supportive of holding the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections but will not allow the conduct of polls that may violate existing laws, Malaca±ang said on Thursday.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos respects the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) assessment on the need to postpone the BARMM elections due to legal and operational concerns. Castro highlighted that Comelec identified operational issues and legal requirements as major reasons for the postponement.
Castro further explained that the poll body cited insufficient preparation time and pending documents that must be completed before the elections can be held. 'Lumalabas na medyo kulang ang panahon sa paghahanda at may mga papel na dapat pang mapirmahan (It appears that the time for preparation is lacking and there are documents that still need to be signed),' she said.
The President understands that proceeding with elections without full compliance with legal requirements could result in violations of the law. Castro added, 'Kung makikita naman po ng Pangulo ang mga dahilan nito, hindi po talaga maaaring maipatupad muli agad-agad (If the President sees these reasons, the elections really cannot be implemented immediately).'
The Comelec on Wednesday announced the postponement of the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election scheduled on March 30, 2026, citing a lack of time to prepare. Castro mentioned that Marcos still wants the elections to push through and may discuss the matter with Comelec Chairperson George Garcia. However, as of now, there has been no confirmation of any discussions taking place.
She emphasized that while the President strongly supports the conduct of the BARMM elections, adherence to the law remains his priority. 'Gustong-gusto po talaga ng Pangulo na matuloy ang election, pero kung may time constraints at hindi ito maipapatupad dahil makakalabag sa batas, hindi naman po nanaisin ng Pangulo na ituloy ang election (The President truly wants the election to push through, but if there are time constraints and it cannot be implemented without violating the law, the President would not want it to proceed),' Castro stated.
