MANILA, Philippines—With still no redistricting law following the Nov. 30 deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the poll body said there are still some options it could take to ensure that the first Bangsamoro parliamentary polls would push through by March next year.
In an ambush interview, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia did not confirm if the regional elections would be postponed once again after the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) failed to pass a new redistricting law by November.
The BTA is now aiming to pass the law by December, according to its floor leader and Member of Parliament John Anthony “Jet” Lim, who introduced six versions of the redistricting bill during a regular session of parliament on Nov. 27.
A new redistricting law became necessary after the Supreme Court declared the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77 unconstitutional, which was supposed to redistribute the seven seats given to Sulu before it was ruled that the province was not a part of the Bangsamoro.
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“We said that if the law is not passed by Nov. 30, we might not be able to hold elections on March 30.”
Garcia, however, said the Comelec still has options to choose from before resorting to postponing the Bangsamro elections.
“But just the same, just like what we always promise and what we always do, we’re always extending and extending the time here in Comelec. Let’s continue to take a look, because there are options that the Comelec can choose from regarding this matter,” he said.
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Among these options include holding manual elections.
“If we really can’t do automated [polls], we can hold a manual poll just to have an election. However, our laws since 2010 state that national and local elections should be automated,” Garcia said.
Garcia earlier said that the new redistricting law would be critical in the holding of the Bangsamoro elections as most of the Comelec’s poll preparations, including the filing of certificates of candidacies and printing of ballots, rely on its provisions.
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Poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections had also warned that constant postponement of elections “erodes democratic legitimacy” and the lack of an elected representative in the Bangsamoro parliament undermines the people’s regional autonomy and the right to suffrage. /gsg