MANILA: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to hold voter education summits in September as part of its massive information campaign for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in May 2025.
In a statement Thursday, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the event “aims to gather the various stakeholders in the region such as, local government units, academic institutions, political parties, sectoral groups, civil society organizations, and citizens’ arms; to synergize our efforts in ensuring an informed and educated electorate in the region.”
During these micro summits, subject matter experts from the Comelec Education and Information Department (EID), the Law Department and the Bangsamoro Electoral Office are expected to discuss in greater detail the rudiments of the regional parliamentary elections, giving primary focus on what the voters in the region need to know and fully grasp: the composition of the Bangsamoro Parliament, the sy
stem of proportional representation, the allocation of parliamentary seats, the manner of their election, among others.
“It is our hope that after the Summit, we will be able to secure the participating organizations commitment to help increase awareness in the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections,” Laudiangco said.
At the same time, the September event is part of the voter education drive in the region.
Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), a total of 80 parliamentary seats are at stake in the polls, which coincides with the midterm elections.
Out of this number, 40 are allotted for representatives of regional political parties, 32 for representatives of parliamentary districts and eight for sectoral representatives — the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs), settler communities, women, youth, traditional leaders and Ulama (Islamic religious scholars)
“For many of our kababayans (countrymen) in the region, the BARMM Parliamentary Elections is the culmination of the Bangsamoro Peoples’ decades-long strug
gle for recognition and self-determination. Therefore, we deem it important to educate the BARMM voters on the new voting system to ensure the success of this historic electoral exercise,” added the poll body official.
The Comelec EID will also send voter education teams in all BARMM provinces to conduct a massive voter education and information drive at the ground level.
Source: Philippines News Agency
