Malacanang reiterated on Thursday it is up to Congress if the Bangsamoro transition period would be extended by three more years.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque's statement came after Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi hit the call to prolong the transition period until 2025.

"In order to extend the transition period, to postpone the election, there's a need to pass a new law by the Congress," he said.

"So, I will decline any further comments other than a law is required to extend the transition period," Roque added.

In an interview in ANC, Sayadi claimed that two years have passed since the Bangsamoro Transition Authority has been installed and yet nothing had happened.

She said if the transition period would be extended, people would continue to suffer.

In the previous Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Cotabato City never became part of the region as the residents voted against its inclusion.

But under the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, despite strong opposition by Sayadi, residents finally agreed to the city's inclusion in the region when a plebiscite was held in 2019. Celerina Monte/DMS