MANILA — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. confirmed he will sign the bill postponing the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to allow full focus on the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls.

Speaking at the Kapihan with the Media in Bengaluru, India, at the close of his five-day state visit, Marcos emphasized the significance of the BARMM elections in October for the region and the peace process.

“Ang COMELEC actually ang nagsasabi, ‘Hindi namin kaya.’ Dahil kailangan nating tutukan yung BARMM,” Marcos said, noting that simultaneous preparations for the December Barangay and SK polls would overstretch the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and divert resources from ensuring the success of the BARMM vote.

He underscored the historical importance of the upcoming parliamentary polls. “You have to remember, the BARMM election that is upcoming in October is the first time we have ever had this kind of election at all. At all. Sa buong kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, hindi pa nagkaroon ng BARMM Parliament na hinalal ng tao. So, that is why it is so important,” he said.

Marcos warned that a failure of the BARMM elections would be a major blow to the Mindanao peace process. “If that election fails, malaking bagay, malaking failure ‘yan dun sa peace process. Kaya’t kailangan na kailangan maging matagumpay ang pagganap ng halalan ng BARMM. And that’s why we really, really are focusing on that,” he stressed.

The President also cited the Supreme Court ruling on the Barangay and SK polls in the decision to postpone. “With a view on the Supreme Court decision that we cannot shorten the term of the barangay officials, we are actually lengthening the term of the barangay officials. So that’s not in conflict. So I think the most sensible and the most common sense solution is to postpone” the elections, he said.