Bangsamoro reforms to boost women’s representation in first polls

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (MNTV) –– The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) of the Philippines’ Muslim region has approved reforms to its election rules requiring regional political parties to follow a “one-in-three” gender rule in their lists of 40 nominees, a move that could result in at least 15 women winning seats in the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, reports DZRH.

During an interview, Member of Parliament Atty. Suharto Ambolodto said the reforms introduce a stricter gender placement requirement for regional party lists, moving beyond the existing 30% women’s quota to ensure women have a real chance of winning.

Under the amended Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 35, regional parliamentary political parties are now required, “as far as practicable,” to observe a “one-in-three” rule in their list of 40 nominees for the regional party elections. This means that in every set of three nominees, at least one must be a woman.

He said the new rule addresses this gap by ensuring that women are distributed throughout the list. “With the rule of 1 and 3, it ensures women participation will not only be token or tokenistic or symbolic but rather effective and participatory,” he added.

Ambolodto stressed that while the phrase “as far as practicable” allows flexibility, it does not make compliance optional. Political parties that fail to meet the requirement must provide clear justification, and the burden of proof lies with the party, not with women candidates.

According to projections discussed during deliberations, the Bangsamoro Parliament will be composed of district-elected members, sectoral representatives, and up to 40% to 50% regional party-list members. With the strengthened rules, lawmakers estimate that around 15 women, or just under 25% of the parliament, could win seats in the first parliamentary elections.

Despite the Bangsamoro Parliament being male-dominated, Ambolodto said the amendment faced no opposition. 

The gender reform was approved alongside other major electoral changes under Parliamentary Bill (PB) No. 419. These include lowering the election threshold for parties to win a seat from 4% to 2.5% of total valid votes, allowing smaller regional parliamentary political parties (RPPPs) to gain representation. The bill also reduced the membership requirement for registering a regional party from 10,000 to 5,000 members.

He added that institutional reforms in the region have been gaining momentum, citing the passage of an anti-dynasty law in 2023, which will take effect in 2028 under the Bangsamoro parliamentary and local government code.