Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to proceed with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections (BPE) with only 73 seats to be voted for. In a statement, the poll body said it decided to hold the BPE on Oct. 13 despite the absence of a legislation reallocating the seven Bangsamoro Parliament seats formerly assigned to the province of Sulu, pursuant to Comelec Minute Resolution No. 25-0738 dated June 17.

According to Philippines News Agency, the ruling came after a careful study and consideration of the tight pre-election timelines in relation to the October polls. At the same time, the Comelec said the number of seats for district representatives allocated for other provinces in the Bangsamoro Region is not affected by the said resolution.

It added the seven district representative seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament previously allocated to Sulu are considered temporarily vacant, and may be subsequently filled either through presidential appointment, after a ruling of the Supreme Court (SC), or future legislation from the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) or Congress.

To recall, the exclusion of the Sulu province from the BARMM by the SC was among the reasons for the postponement of the BPE from May 12 to Oct. 13. There was a need for the BTA to amend the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act of 2024 and decision on what to do with the seven parliamentary seats originally allocated for Sulu.