2025 Elections

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has certified as urgent a measure seeking to postpone the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Malacañang confirmed on Wednesday.

"This is confirmed," acting Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez said in a text message to reporters following Senate President Francis Escudero's earlier pronouncement.

Both chambers of Congress recently approved their respective versions of the postponement proposal.

The House of Representatives approved House Bill (HB) 11144, which would move the first regular election in BARMM to the second Monday of May 2026 and every three years thereafter.

Meanwhile, the Senate has approved on second reading a bill that would reschedule the BARMM parliamentary elections from this May to October.

Chavez noted that the chief executive wants the Senate's version of the bill expedited.

Sen. JV Ejercito said he was certain the bill postponing the BARMM elections would be approved on third and final reading by Monday, Feb. 3.

The senator made the assurance as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified as urgent the passage of the measure postponing the BARRM polls.

"[We] already finished it last night on second reading, and it will be ready for third reading by Monday," Ejercito said in a text message.

"The certification is not anymore needed, but it's a message from the Palace of how important the measure is," he said.

A copy of the president's letter was already transmitted to Speaker Martin Romualdez and Secretary Mark Leandro Mendoza, presidential adviser on legislative affairs and head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, Chavez added.

In November 2024, Marcos said they were keenly studying the postponement due to the "unintended consequence" brought by the Supreme Court's decision to exclude Sulu from the BARMM.

On its Sept. 9, 2024 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) but excluded Sulu from BARMM. It declared the ruling in finality and effective immediately.

"There are seven districts within the BARMM that are in Sulu. Now, they don't have a congressman. They don't have a province. There are also eight without a municipality without a district and without a province. They were all part of BARMM," the president previously noted.

"So the transition authority must work to have a new system, new administrative code, new local government code, and a new electoral code. That's what they need to work on," he added.

Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong expressed his gratitude to the president for certifying as urgent the bill seeking to reset the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM.

"This certification underscores the national government's commitment to ensuring that the Bangsamoro electoral process is not only democratic but also conducted under conditions that promote stability, inclusivity, and genuine representation," he said in a statement.

"The road to lasting peace and self-governance is not without its challenges, but with this crucial step, we affirm our collective dedication to a peaceful, credible, and successful transition toward a fully functioning parliamentary government in BARMM," he said.

Last Dec. 17, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 11144, under which the first regular election for the Bangsamoro government would be held on May 11, 2026.

While the House bill would reset the elections if passed into law, it would not extend the term of the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) which acts as a parliament.

"Upon the effectivity of this Act, the term of the present duly constituted Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao shall be deemed expired," the House bill reads.

The House bill gives the president the authority to appoint the 80 new interim members of the BTA "who shall serve until their successors shall have been elected and qualified in an automated election."

Also on Wednesday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it has held the printing of ballots for BARMM elections.

"Because of these recent developments, we did not yet proceed with the printing of the BARMM parliamentary ballots," said Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia.

"The reason is we may end up opening the filing of candidacy anew for the region in the event of redistricting as a result of the reapportionment of the slots originally assigned in Sulu," he added.

Garcia said the printing of ballots for the national and local elections (NLE) is not affected and would proceed as scheduled.

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) suspended the printing of ballots for the May 2025 elections following temporary restraining orders (TROs) issued by the Supreme Court. These TROs halted the disqualification of several candidates, necessitating changes to the ballots to include these individuals.

In response, the Comelec has undertaken measures such as amending the candidates' database, updating the election management system and reprinting affected ballots to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's directives.

These actions have caused not only delay but also cost millions. Nevertheless, the Comelec emphasized that there is no cause for alarm, as they are implementing contingency measures to manage the situation effectively. They assured the public that the May 2025 elections will push through as scheduled.

The TROs issued by the Supreme Court covered the candidacy of Francis Leo Marcos, a social media personality and former senatorial candidate in the 2022 elections. Also included is Subair Mustapha, another senatorial aspirant, whose name was initially excluded from the ballot. There are also local candidates who were included in the TRO, such as Noel Rosal, the former governor of Albay who is seeking the same office, and Chito Bulatao Balintay, a candidate for governor in Zambales.

As of today, there are still unresolved petitions for TRO filed by disqualified candidates awaiting decision by the Supreme Court.

The case of Francis Leo Marcos is illustrative of the problem, when after being granted a TRO, and thus becoming one of the reasons for Comelec's decision to stop printing ballots, he has withdrawn his candidacy. We should take note that one of the grounds for his disqualification as a nuisance was because he has the same surname as incumbent senator Imee Marcos, who is running for reelection. Francis Leo Marcos is now throwing his support behind Imee Marcos.

It really makes sense that Comelec's decision relative to Francis Leo needs to be reviewed, although it is now mooted with his withdrawal. It is odd that the Comelec declared him as a legitimate candidate for senator in the 2022 elections, where he garnered about 4 million votes, and yet now declare him as nuisance just because there is another person running for office with the same surname.

In the Philippines, candidates for public office may be disqualified on various grounds as provided by law, primarily under the Omnibus Election Code, the 1987 Philippine Constitution and other relevant statutes.

Foremost of these is the failure to meet the constitutional or statutory qualifications for the specific position, such as age. There are minimum age requirements for every position, such as 40 years for president and vice president, and 25 years for House representatives. Certain positions also absolutely require that the candidates must be a natural-born Filipino citizen. Furthermore, candidates must satisfy the required residency in the area where they seek to be elected. Dual citizens are also required to abandon their foreign citizenship, in order for them not to be disqualified.

Candidates can also be disqualified if they are proven to have violated election laws, such as engaging in vote-buying or vote-selling, exceeding the prescribed limits on campaign expenditures, and the use of coercion, threats or intimidation during the campaign or election period. Also included are acts that are considered election offenses, such as tampering with election returns. These are filed even after the candidates have been proclaimed as winners.

Final conviction of a crime related to terrorism or rebellion, or involving moral turpitude, such as fraud, theft and libel can disqualify a candidate. And so does conviction in an offense the penalty for which includes imprisonment of at least one year.

A candidate who is declared by a court as legally insane or mentally incompetent can also be disqualified, as well as those who hold positions in government or public office that violate laws on incompatibility or dual allegiance. Candidates who replace another in violation of substitution rules can also be disqualified.

Petitions for disqualification could come in the form of cancellation of the certificates of candidacy (COC) of persons who have misrepresented their qualifications, such as falsely declaring citizenship, residency or eligibility; or filing COCs with deliberate intent to mislead.

Candidates can also be disqualified if they are declared as nuisances. Under Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code, a candidate is considered a nuisance if it is proven that he or she does not have a serious intention to run for office and is merely filing for candidacy to ridicule or trivialize the electoral process. Another ground is when the candidate's name, platform or actions are likely to cause confusion among voters. This often applies when the candidate's name is identical or very similar to another prominent candidate, or that the candidate appears to deliberately copy another candidate's campaign branding or messaging.

The Supreme Court, however, has ruled that lack of means and resources, or popularity does not render a candidate as a nuisance. The Comelec cannot consider a candidate as a nuisance just because he or she is not well-known, or is not wealthy, or is not supported by a political party.

It is clear that while anyone has a right to participate in the electoral process, there are certain laws and regulations that need to be upheld. Anyone who is deemed as a nuisance, or is disqualified from running, has a right to run to the Supreme Court for remedy. However, we should also bear in mind that the technology for running an automated election system has made it an imperative to expedite the decision on qualification-related cases, considering that ballots now contain the names of candidates. The Supreme Court and the Comelec should come up with an agreed upon protocol on how to implement an expedited procedure. The court may have to prioritize these cases over regular business, considering their serious implications not only on the cost of printing ballots but on the feasibility of holding the elections as scheduled.

THE Angkasangga Party-list has joined forces with the Kababayan Riders Association for a New Cultural Harmony and Order Inc. (Karancho) to promote grassroots empowerment.

The show of unity took place during Karancho's 29th national convention on Jan. 25 in Davao City.

During the convention, Karancho's National President Leo Magno, Vice President Jimmy Batoon and Secretary General Josue de Villa Go set the tone with a call to action on cultural harmony, community welfare and public safety.

The spotlight was shared with Angkas CEO and Angkasangga's first nominee, George Royeca, who attended the event alongside Senate President Francis Escudero.

In his address, Royeca rallied support for Angkasangga's mission, describing it as a lifeline for the country's informal workers.

"This isn't just a platform; it's a promise to uplift tricycle drivers, vendors, and freelance laborers," he said.

Angkasangga is advocating for paid sick leave, government-mandated benefits and accident insurance for marginalized workers.

The convention highlighted the organizations' efforts to foster solidarity, advocate road safety and improve disaster preparedness.

Escudero praised the synergy between Karancho's grassroots network and Angkasangga's legislative ambitions.

"Together, they bring the voices of the people to the forefront of national change," Escudero said.