The first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will now be held on the second Monday of September 2026, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri confirmed.

Zubiri made the announcement during his sponsorship of Senate Bill No. 1587, which seeks to reset the schedule for the BARMM elections.

The polls were originally set for March 31, but have been postponed multiple times since the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) seven years ago. Until now, all regional leaders in BARMM have been appointed rather than elected.

“This is already the fourth postponement, and it must be the final one. We cannot delay our people’s right to vote any longer. To do so would undo the hard-earned gains of peace and progress in BARMM,” Zubiri said.

He stressed that the postponements, caused in part by COVID-19 and a Supreme Court ruling removing Sulu from the region, have prevented residents from exercising their democratic right.

Zubiri also pointedly rejected calls from some sectors to defer the election until 2028.

“For all those who still want to pursue the idea of postponing all the way to 2028, please take that out of your mindset. That will not happen while we are in the Senate and Congress. We will see this through,” he said.

Since the BOL’s implementation, the region has seen a reduction in violence, although security remains a concern following recent attacks, including the use of an RPG against a mayor in Maguindanao. Zubiri noted that holding elections is crucial to sustaining the region’s progress.

The bill will undergo interpolation today and is expected to pass second reading in the Senate next week.

“The Bangsamoro people deserve to chart their own path and choose their own leaders,” Zubiri added.