The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), a Church-based election watchdog in the Philippines, is calling for around 30,000 volunteers to assist in the upcoming first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) scheduled for September 2026.According to PPCRV regional chairperson Fr.

David Procalla of the Archdiocese of Cotabato, volunteers will be deployed across the Bangsamoro region to support key election-related tasks such as poll watching, voter education, election monitoring, and staffing voter assistance desks.

These efforts are intended to help ensure that the electoral process is peaceful, orderly, and credible, in coordination with law enforcement agencies such as the police and military, as well as other stakeholders.

PPCRV emphasized that interested individuals may coordinate with their local parish priests or with PPCRV coordinators at the provincial and municipal levels.

The organization recently participated in a stakeholders’ meeting in Makati City, which gathered representatives from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), senior police officials, and civil society groups.The meeting focused on election preparedness, security arrangements, and strengthening multi-sector collaboration ahead of the historic polls.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia reaffirmed that the BARMM parliamentary elections will proceed as scheduled on September 14, 2026, stressing the commission’s commitment to holding the elections without delay.

However, he also noted that legal developments, including pending Supreme Court cases and possible Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs), could still affect the process.He mentioned that there are currently three cases pending before the high court.

The official election period for the BARMM polls will run from July 16, 2026, to September 29, 2026, during which a nationwide gun ban will be enforced to help maintain peace and order throughout the electoral process.