The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has ordered a halt to all preparations for the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections following a Supreme Court-issued Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the implementation of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77.
This law had redrawn the region’s parliamentary districts and reallocated seven seats originally assigned to Sulu, which the Court previously ruled is not part of BARMM.
The TRO, issued on September 15, 2025, effectively bars COMELEC and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority from enforcing the redistricting law, creating legal uncertainty over which districting framework to use.
As a result, COMELEC Chairman George Garcia confirmed that the en banc will assess whether the elections scheduled for October 13 must be postponed entirely.
