The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a bill seeking to move the first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to the second Monday of September this year.

House Bill 8220 was authored and principally sponsored by Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong, representative of Lanao del Sur’s 1st District. The measure is also included among the priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

According to Adiong, the proposed measure aims to safeguard the integrity of the Bangsamoro peace process and ensure that the first elected parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao can fully perform its mandate without legal or procedural obstacles.

Under the bill, the inaugural regular parliamentary elections in BARMM will be held on the second Monday of September 2026, followed by elections every three years thereafter. The proposal also directs the Commission on Elections to formulate the implementing rules and regulations for the conduct of the polls, in accordance with the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.

Lawmakers said the measure is intended to ensure an orderly and legally grounded transition toward the region’s first fully elected parliamentary government.