Prof. Coronel-Ferrer Urges Fair and Impartial Redistricting in the Bangsamoro Parliament
COTABATO CITY (October 12, 2025) — To free the redistricting of the Bangsamoro Parliament from vested or partisan interests, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer emphasized that only two objective criteria should guide the distribution of the seven (7) parliamentary seats previously assigned to Sulu:
1. Contiguity of Areas – Districts should be drawn based on contiguous, compact, and adjacent territories, as far as practicable.
2. Equitable Population Distribution – The allocation of district seats should be based on population size to ensure fair and proportional representation for all Bangsamoro constituents.
“The Supreme Court decision already provides the population data per municipality or district,” she noted.
Prof. Coronel-Ferrer underscored that transparency and technical integrity are key to a credible redistricting process. She recommended engaging an independent geographer and a statistician, unaligned with any political group, to conduct the initial mapping and data analysis. Their technical output, she said, should then serve as the foundation for deliberations within the Bangsamoro Parliament.
“There is no reason to delay,” she asserted. The constitutional and legal parameters are already clear and sufficient to guide a fair, data-driven, and impartial redistricting, she added.
Under Article VI, Section 5(3) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, each legislative district shall, “as far as practicable, comprise contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory,” explicitly prohibiting gerrymandering.
Likewise, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (Article VII, Section 10) mandates that parliamentary districts be apportioned based on population and geographical area, ensuring that each district shall be contiguous, compact, and adjacent, with a minimum population of 100,000.
Prof. Coronel-Ferrer noted that by adhering to these principles, the Bangsamoro Parliament can demonstrate moral governance and evidence-based policymaking, setting a strong example for fair representation across the country. (BMN/BangsamoroToday)
