Comelec all set for BARMM polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is nearing full readiness for the inaugural parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), scheduled for September 14. Ninety percent of preparations are complete, according to Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia. He stated during a command conference that the poll body, alongside the police and military, is intensifying efforts to ensure a peaceful and orderly election.

Key preparations include the training of teachers who will serve as poll workers and the ongoing distribution of election equipment to provincial hubs. The Comelec anticipates all necessary materials will reach BARMM's provinces, cities, and municipalities by the end of August. The election is budgeted at approximately P3 billion, with an expected voter turnout between 65% and 75% of the region's 2.4 million registered voters.

In a significant development preceding the election, leaders from six non-Moro indigenous peoples (NMIPs) groups have chosen their representatives for the regional parliament. Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, NMIPs are allocated two reserved seats in the 80-member legislature. These seats are to be filled through a consensual process that respects their customary laws. The convention witnessed by Comelec Chair Garcia saw the Teduray and Lambangian tribes designated to fill the first seats, with Jo Genna Jover and Timuay Leticio Datuwata selected as the female and male nominees, respectively. This traditional selection process marks a unique aspect of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

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They are the first Members of Parliament chosen via a quiet, customary, traditional and very orderly selection process that I witnessed.