CO-SPONSORSHIP REMARKS
An Act Resetting the First Regular Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Amending for the Purpose Section 13, Article XVI of Republic Act No. 11054, As Amended, Otherwise Known as The “Organic Law For The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao”
Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
10 February 2026
Mr. President, I rise to co-sponsor Senate Bill No. 1823 under Committee Report No. 29, An Act Resetting the First Regular Elections in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
I would like to thank and recognize the efforts of our distinguished Majority Leader Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri for leading the subcommittee deliberations, and for bringing this urgent and crucial measure to the plenary today.
Marahil, wala na pong iba pang senador na pinaka-mainam na manguna sa pagdinig ng panukalang magsisiguro sa integridad at wastong pagdaraos ng kauna-unahang halalan sa Bangsamoro kundi ang ating kasamahan na siya ring naging sponsor at isa sa mga may-akda ng Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) noong Seventeenth Congress taong 2018.
As your Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Government, I fully support moves to ensure the full implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in recognition of the collective aspirations of the Bangsamoro people toward self-governance.
Let this proposed legislation be viewed not only as a culmination of the long and difficult process of normalization under the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro which was signed in March 2014 which ended decades of armed hostilities, but also the commencement of a new era of enduring peace, political stability and inclusive development in the region.
It is paramount that we are all united in safeguarding the sanctity and credibility of this historic democratic exercise, and that our brothers and sisters in the Bangsamoro region will truly be empowered to exercise their right to suffrage and to duly elect their leaders who will represent and serve them.
While election timelines would always be changed and moved many times over the years, our commitment to realizing the Bangsamoro dream of genuine autonomy within the framework of the Constitution never wavered.
Sa ilalim ng panukalang batas na ito, sinisiguro natin na may sapat na panahon ang Commission on Elections (COMELEC) na ilatag at isagawa ang lahat ng paghahanda upang matiyak na malinis, tapat, at mapayapa ang makasaysayang halalan. Gayundin, inaasahan natin na malulutas nito ang mga legal na balakid kasunod ng naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema.
As former Chairperson of the Committee on National Defense and Security, this representation sponsored the adoption of House Concurrent Resolutions concurring with the Presidential Proclamations granting amnesty to revolutionaries and rebels, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to welcome them back into the folds of the law and to give them a chance for a new life. This underscores our commitment to the full implementation of peace agreements, the pursuit of social cohesion, and the promise of lasting peace.
I urge our dear colleagues to rally behind this measure, as I seek your support in the speedy approval of this legislation.
Thank you, Mr. President.