Senate Bill No. 1823, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, has been approved on third and final reading in the Senate, moving the proposal to reset the first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to September 2026 closer to enactment.
The measure was approved in a 21–0 vote on March 1, 2026. It sets the first regular Bangsamoro Parliament elections on the second Monday of September 2026 and every three years thereafter.
Zubiri earlier described the bill as nearing the “finish line.” With Senate approval secured, the proposal now moves to the House of Representatives for further action before it can be transmitted for presidential approval.
The House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms has already approved a substitute bill that also schedules the first BARMM elections in September 2026, with succeeding regional polls in 2029.
For the reset to take effect, the House must pass its version on second and third reading. If there are differences between the Senate and House versions, these must be reconciled through a bicameral conference committee. The final measure must then be signed by the President or lapse into law.
The proposed change follows earlier adjustments to the BARMM electoral timetable. Previous legislation had moved the first regular parliamentary elections from 2022 to 2025. Separate measures filed in 2024 and 2025 sought to shift the schedule again to 2026, which SB 1823 now specifies as September 2026.
The COMELEC has said it is prepared to conduct the BARMM polls if Congress sets them in September 2026 instead of May 2026, citing operational and legal considerations.
