MANILA, Philippines — A group from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Wednesday called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to promptly resolve the issues of political parties, particularly of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), before the filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) for the first BARMM parliamentary elections.
In a letter submitted to Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia and the Comelec commissioners, Alliance for Moral Advancement and New BARMM for All (AMANA) said that party status in parliamentary elections “is not a minor procedural matter.”
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“It affects nomination, voter choice, campaign organization, and the public’s understanding of who may validly participate. Delay can create confusion even before a final ruling is made,” AMANA said.
“We are not asking Comelec to favor any party. We ask only for timely clarity, equal treatment, and due process, so that all candidates, parties, voters, and election officers know the rules before filing begins,” AMANA added.
In a separate interview, Sultan Amate from AMANA also said that the Comelec must resolve the pending issues of UBJP before the start of COC filing on May 5-7, 2026. UBJP is the official political party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
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The accreditation of the UBJP as a regional parliamentary political party for the BARMM parliamentary elections is still pending as it is currently facing a disqualification over alleged violation of gun ban and foreign funding. The UBJP on Tuesday said it already submitted its answer on the disqualification petition.
When asked if the peace process in the region will be compromised without the participation of the party, Amate answered: “‘Yun ang solusyon sa peace process na yung dating combatant ay maging voters or kaalyado sa BARMM [That’s the solution in the peace process: for former combatants to become voters or allies in BARMM].”
The Comelec has granted the accreditations of the following political parties: Bangsamoro Party; Alliance of Bangsamoro Tri-Peoples Party; Bangsamoro People’s Democratic Party; Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation Party; Progresibong Bangsamoro Party; Bangsamoro People’s Party; Bangsamoro Federalist Party; BARMM Grand Coalition; Moro Ako Party; and Indigenous, Settlers, Sama and Minorities Alliance Party.
Meanwhile, the poll body denied the accreditation of People’s Consultative (Mushawara) Party for failure to comply with necessary requirements.
The AMANA group also urged the Comelec to intensify the voters’ education in BARMM, noting that “many voters still need clear information on district representatives, party voting, accredited parties, filing deadlines, official sources of information, and the voting process.” /jpv
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