MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) clarified on Tuesday (12 Nov 2024) that its September ruling on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will go into effect, despite an appeal being filed.
SC spokesperson Camille Mae Sue Ting explained that the decision is “immediately executory,” meaning it must be fully implemented while the motion for reconsideration is pending.
“There would be no reason for the Court to say it was immediately executory if it intended otherwise,” Ting stated, emphasizing that the ruling was made in the context of the upcoming BARMM parliamentary elections, which cannot be delayed.
The Court upheld the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), affirming that BARMM is not a separate state but an autonomous region within the Philippines. The law does not grant BARMM sovereignty or control over foreign policy, defense, or trade—matters which remain under national government jurisdiction.
However, the Court ruled that Sulu province is not part of BARMM, as it rejected the law’s ratification during the plebiscite. The Bangsamoro Attorney General’s Office has filed motions for reconsideration, seeking intervention and review of the decision.
Meanwhile, the Senate and House of Representatives are pushing separate bills to delay BARMM’s parliamentary elections from May 2025 to May 2026.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law, passed in July 2018, established BARMM after a series of plebiscites in 2019. While most areas ratified the law, Sulu did not, but was nonetheless included in the region, prompting its petition against the decision.
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