By Jim Lloyd Dongiapon
Following a series of public consultations and committee deliberations, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Bill No. 29, known as the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, is one step closer to committee approval.
The BTA Parliament Committee on Rules recently finished discussing the 14 articles that make up the electoral code last week.
On Wednesday, February 8, Floor Leader and Committee on Rules Chair Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, MP, led the deliberation of Articles 7 to 10, which specify the requirements for elective local officials, the frequency of elections for officials, the conduct of elections, electorates, and election administration.
According to Dumama-Alba, her committee plans to turn in its report by the start of next week’s parliamentary session.
In relation to this, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has formed the “Bangsamoro Study Group,” composed of lawyers and officials from the agency, to assess the proposed Bangsamoro Electoral Code
Atty. George Garcia, the chair of COMELEC, revealed in an interview with a local radio station that they have sent the Committee on Rules their 265-page comment on the electoral code for them to deliberate
Garcia added that they are awaiting the BTA Parliament’s response to their comment.
The electoral code is one of the priority laws that the Bangsamoro Parliament must pass before June 30, 2025, or during the transition period, as mandated by the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (Republic Act No. 11054).
It will set forth the structural, operational, and procedural rules governing the election of officers in the region.