By Ferdinand Patinio | Philippine News Agency
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported on Sunday that 109 aspirants for parliamentary district representatives and eight regional parliamentary political parties filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) and Certificates of Acceptance of Nominations (CANs) during the Nov. 6-9 filing for the 2025 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
At the same time, Comelec chair George Garcia said he was happy that the five-day conduct of the filing of COCs and CANs was peaceful in general.
“The filing of the Certificates of Candidacy in the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) was generally peaceful as no untoward incident whatsoever happened and not a single form of disturbance occurred,” he said in a telephone interview on Sunday.
Records showed that 41 aspirants filed in Lanao del Sur for parliamentary district representatives while 15 each in Maguindanao del Norte and del Sur, 14 in Basilan, 10 in Tawi-Tawi, nine in Cotabato City, and five in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato.
On the other hand, eight regional parliamentary political parties have filed their CANs and List of Nominees, as well as Manifestation of Intent to Participate in the Parliamentary Elections (MIP-PE).
Garcia said they were satisfied with the number of aspirants who have expressed intentions to participate in the first BPE amid calls to postpone the polls.
“The total number of aspirants is quite high considering that only 25 seats in the parliament are to be filled up, and the possibility of postponement and resetting is present,” he said.
Earlier, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) adopted Resolution No. 641, requesting the House of Representatives and Senate to extend the transition period from 2025 to 2028.
In response, Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez filed their respective bills seeking to postpone the BPE to May 11, 2026.