MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing contingency measures in case heavy rains affect the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections (BPE) on September 14.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said the poll body has the authority to postpone the elections in the event of a natural calamity, including typhoons and flooding.

“Under the Omnibus Election Code, Comelec has the authority to postpone elections in cases of force majeure. Typhoons and flooding qualify as force majeure. We can opt not to hold the election as scheduled, provided it is conducted within 30 days thereafter. That is an option we are considering,” Garcia said.

Speaking at a press briefing during the Media Walkthrough of the BPE Data Centers 1 and 2 in Makati City, Garcia said the Comelec is particularly concerned about schools designated as polling places, especially in areas prone to severe flooding.

“We are looking into where we can relocate voting centers, should there be heavy rain on election day, so that our citizens can still cast their votes,” he said.

Garcia said the Comelec is not concerned about rain disrupting the transmission of election results, citing the use of Starlink systems.

“We aren’t worried about rain preventing data transmission because we are using high-quality Starlink systems. We are confident that we can transmit results even amid typhoons and rain,” he said.

The poll chief also said election paraphernalia are unlikely to be damaged by rain because they are secured in Comelec warehouses.

“The only slight concern arises when the equipment is deployed to the municipalities. Therefore, municipal treasurers must ensure that the storage facilities for these materials are adequate,” Garcia said.

Deployment of automated counting machines (ACMs), laptops and other election paraphernalia to local Offices of Election Officer is scheduled to begin in the third week of August.

Transmission kits, ACM external batteries and ballot boxes are already stored in regional hubs pending their deployment to local poll body offices.

Comelec data show that 2,393,202 voters are registered for the BARMM parliamentary elections.