Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has expressed its readiness to assist in the crafting of a new Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) if requested by the Bangsamoro Parliament. Comelec Chairperson George Garcia announced their willingness to provide support, particularly in the allocation of districts within the region.

According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia emphasized the importance of consulting with Comelec on districting matters, while making it clear that the Bangsamoro Parliament retains full discretion over such decisions. “We will highly appreciate, and we convey this publicly, that we hope that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be consulted on their districting, not to influence them because it’s a pure, absolute discretion of the [Bangsamoro] Parliament… to hear the side of the Comelec,” he stated during a press conference held at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila.

Additionally, Garcia noted Comelec’s decision not to challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling that declared BAA No. 58 and BAA No. 77 unconstitutional. “We will inform our Solicitor General, as the lawyer of the Comelec, that we will not file a Motion for Reconsideration. We will immediately comply with the directive of our Supreme Court, as our Supreme Court has already provided the date for the next Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE),” Garcia explained. The Supreme Court has mandated that the BPE be conducted no later than March 31, 2026.

Garcia also admitted that the postponement of the BPE, originally set for October 13, has resulted in significant budget wastage. “We are still calculating. But to my understanding, it will not be less than PHP1 billion. It is above PHP1 billion,” he revealed, specifying that the wasted expenses encompass costs related to ballots, partial milestone payments for procurement, and deployments to hubs. The total budget allocated for this year’s BPE amounts to PHP2.7 billion.