Comelec decision to suspend poll preparations backed

Election watchdogs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao backed the decision of the Commission on Elections to suspend preparations for the upcoming first parliamentary elections in the region next month amid legal woes.

- By KEITH BACONGCO

In a statement, the Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC) said that it fully supports the Comelec decision to halt preparations for the Oct. 13 elections in the Bangsamoro region “until the Supreme Court clarifies the implications of its order temporarily enjoining the implementation of BAA 77.”

The IEMC issued the statement after the Comelec en banc headed by Chairman George Erwin Garcia ordered the suspension on Sept. 17 following the SC’s move to halt Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 77, which reorganizes parliamentary districts in the BARMM and reallocates seven seats initially assigned to Sulu province.

The SC ruled in September 2024 to exclude Sulu which used to have seven parliamentary district seats.