The bicameral conference committee approved the bill resetting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) first parliamentary elections from May 12 to October 13, 2025.

The principal sponsor of the Senate's version of the bill, Senate Joseph Victor Ejercito, said in the report the provisions of the present reconciled bill that the Senate and Congress came to an agreement to reset the first regular election of BARMM.

"Under the reconciled version, the conferees came to an agreement to set the first regular election of the BARMM on October 13, 2025, and that the next election shall be held and synchronized with the 2028 National Elections and every three years thereafter", Ejercito said.

"Furthermore, the conference committee members agreed to adopt provision in the Senate version for the present Bangsamoro Transition Authority to continue as the interim government in the BARMM until their successors are elected and qualified", he added.

Senate President Francis Escudero said in an ambush interview that the reason behind the reset is due to security reasons.

"The main reason why we will reset it is ... to reposition our security and election officials to ensure that the very first election in BARMM will truly be clean, credible, and peaceful", Escudero said.

Escudero said the reason it was only reset to five months instead of a year as it will take too long.

"The shorter the time is better for me so that there won't be time for another reset again. The BARMM elections must take place", he said.

Ejercito said that it was also agreed that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) "will no longer open the filling of new certificates of candidacies or accept manifestations of intent to participate with a list of nominees, except for the seats allocated to the province of Sulu" Marie Nicole Manalili/DMS