Special session for Philippines’ Muslim region redistricting law next week
Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the region must maintain an 80-seat parliament, requiring the remaining provinces to absorb the seats
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (MNTV) – The speaker of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament has called a special session for next week to resume deliberations on a long-delayed measure to redraw parliamentary districts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), reports Rappler.
BTA Speaker Mohammad Yacob said the session, sought by BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, would be held on January 12 in Cotabato City.
Yacob said the session will be convened under parliamentary rules that allows the speaker to call lawmakers together to address urgent or critical public matters, and urged all members to attend.
The redistricting bill has taken on new urgency after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last month indefinitely suspended the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2026 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, citing the absence of legally defined districts.
The Comelec had originally scheduled the filing from January 5 to 9, but said it could not proceed without a districting law, which is also required before ballots can be printed and seats allocated.
The Supreme Court had earlier ordered that the districts be defined by October 30, 2025, a deadline that was missed.
Deliberations on the bill stalled late last year after the BTA parliament failed to muster a quorum, with only 38 of its 80 members attending a committee session. It was short of the simple majority needed to conduct business.
The need for a redistricting law resulted from a Supreme Court ruling that excluded the province of Sulu from the BARMM, leaving seven of the 80 parliamentary seats in limbo. Before its exclusion, Sulu had seven parliamentary districts.
Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the region must maintain an 80-seat parliament, requiring the remaining provinces to absorb the seats.
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