The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has officially lifted the gun ban in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) after the Supreme Court postponed the region’s parliamentary elections to next year.

In Minute Resolution No. 25-1055 dated October 3, the Comelec en banc ordered the removal of all election-related prohibitions, including the carrying and transport of firearms and deadly weapons across BARMM and the City of Isabela in Basilan.

The decision follows the Supreme Court’s ruling in consolidated cases G.R. Nos. E-02219 and E-02235, which declared Bangsamoro Autonomy Acts (BAA) Nos. 58 and 77 unconstitutional. These acts had reorganized parliamentary districts and reallocated seats originally intended for Sulu.

Comelec announced that it will revise the calendar of activities for the BARMM Parliamentary Elections (BPE), which must now be held no later than March 31, 2026, in accordance with the High Court’s directive. Preparations for the originally scheduled October 13 polls have been halted.

The poll body also declared as moot all previously submitted comments from candidates, political parties, sectoral groups, and citizens’ arms, pending compliance by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) with the Supreme Court’s order to finalize parliamentary district boundaries by October 30.

The Supreme Court en banc voted 11-3 with one abstention on September 30 to defer the BPE, citing constitutional concerns over the disputed districting laws. (PNA)