MANILA, Philippines — The national government is carefully evaluating its next steps following the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision upholding the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), while excluding Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“We’re still studying it,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Friday when asked about calls to suspend the BARMM elections scheduled for next year.

In its September 9 ruling, the SC upheld the BOL’s constitutionality but excluded Sulu from BARMM. The decision, which the Court declared final and effective immediately, has raised questions about the impact on the region.

President Marcos acknowledged the “unintended consequences” of the SC’s ruling, which may require adjustments, including the potential creation of a new province and revisions to the BARMM law.

“There are seven districts in BARMM that were previously part of Sulu. Now, they have no congressman and no province. There are also eight municipalities without districts or provinces but who voted in the plebiscite. So, they are part of BARMM,” he said.

The President noted that the transition authority would need to address these changes, which may involve updates to the administrative code, local government code, and electoral code.

Regarding the BARMM parliamentary elections, President Marcos suggested they could be synchronized with the midterm elections. However, he warned that the polls might be postponed if preparations are not sufficient.

“There are many unintended consequences from the Supreme Court’s decision. We will try to synchronize the elections, but if it’s not feasible, it’s better to ensure everything is correct than rush and create more problems,” he said.

Asked whether there is enough time to align the BARMM elections with the midterm polls, the President confirmed that the matter is still under review, with various options being considered. He assured that preparations for the elections are ongoing.