Sulu’s exclusion from BARMM leaves seven parliamentary seats in limbo

DAVAO, Philippines — What happens now to the seven seats reserved for Sulu in the Bangsamoro parliament following the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to exclude the province from the Muslim-majority autonomous region?

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said possible solutions include leaving the seven seats vacant, appointing representatives, or redistributing the seats to other areas.

The High Tribunal, in a ruling announced on September 9, upheld the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) but excluded Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), noting that the province did not ratify the law during the 2019 plebiscite.

Excluding Sulu, the BARMM consists of Basilan, excluding Isabela City, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, and several barangays from the Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato province.

Ray Sumalipao, Comelec-BARMM director, said on Monday, September 16, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) would need to decide on the fate of Sulu’s seven parliamentary seats. 

Based on Republic Act 11054, which created the BARMM, the special autonomous region’s 80-member parliament is composed of 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives, and eight sectoral representatives.

“The issue lies in the legal and technical effects of the reduction in district seats after Sulu’s exclusion. We are bound by law to maintain the 80-member composition, but this falls outside Comelec’s authority. The BTA must address it,” Sumalipao said.

One option, he said, is to leave the seven district seats from Sulu vacant, with the possibility of the President or the BARMM parliament appointing seven representatives. 

Sumalipao said another option would be distributing the seats to other provinces or cities, like Cotabato City or the SGA, which have previously expressed interest in additional representation.

Immediately after the SC ruling was made public, lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, former BARMM interior minister, said the decision about Sulu’s exclusion “have far-reaching consequences.”

For one, it dealt a blow to the Bangsamoro Grand Coalition (BGC), which had been preparing to field Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan as its candidate for the BARMM’s top post in 2025, aiming to wrest political leadership from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), led by BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.

Due to the ongoing adjustments in the BARMM, the filing period for certificates of candidacy for district representatives and party affiliations has been extended to November 4-9, while the original October 1-8 schedule remains unchanged for local positions.

Sixteen political parties in the BARMM were also impacted by the SC ruling, with several members and chapters based in Sulu. The Comelec en banc has ordered the region’s parties to submit updated membership summaries by province.

Despite the complications, Sumalipao said Sulu’s exclusion would ease Comelec’s logistical burden in the BARMM. 

“It has helped reduce our workload, especially regarding security preparations,” Sumalipao said. – Rappler.com