Bangsamoro Elections Marred by Violence, Irregularities; Comelec Takes Control of Some Areas

By Mark Joseph M. Sanchez THE first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were marred by election-related violence, pre-shaded ballots and other disruptions on Monday, prompting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to take control of Cotabato City and Maluso, Basilan. Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said the commission en banc placed Cotabato City under its control after incidents on Sunday night, including gunfire and an explosion. Three people were also killed and 15 injured in an election-related shooting in the city. “This was because of the incidents last night, including, first, the gunfire, which, thank God, did not hit anyone,” Mr. Garcia told reporters on Monday. “The second was the explosion, in which the person carrying the explosive was the one who was hurt.” The Philippine National Police said the explosive was an improvised explosive device. The Comelec placed Maluso under its control after finding that ballots in 36 of its 68 precincts had been compromised through pre-shading. The poll body said it had identified those responsible and ordered the reprinting of ballots for the affected precincts. The Comelec also extended voting by two hours, until 9 p.m., in Al-Barka, Basilan after teachers were unable to immediately enter a voting center and obtain election materials following a confrontation involving groups of Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and commanders and other partisan groups. The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), the Comelec-accredited citizens’ arm and election watchdog, separately reported pre-shaded ballots, improper ballot handling and disruptions at several voting centers in its 1 p.m. bulletin. In Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur, a NAMFREL volunteer was handed a pre-shaded ballot. At Pilot Central School in Cotabato City, a volunteer witnessed an intimidation and shooting incident and reported pre-shaded ballots favoring one party. NAMFREL also reported an electoral board member at Maguindanaon Elementary School in Sultan Kudarat illegally shading multiple official ballots and feeding most of them directly into the vote-counting machine without the presence or authorization of registered voters. At Ma’had Darul Arabie Islamic Institute in Sultan Kudarat, a voter inserted a ballot through an alternate opening without scanning it. An electoral board member then tried to open the sealed ballot box to retrieve the unscanned ballot, prompting objections from poll watchers over alleged procedural and chain-of-custody violations. In Cotabato City, NAMFREL volunteers at Datu Usman Elementary School were reportedly barred by police from entering the voting center despite presenting identification and appointment letters. The Citizens Coalition for Accountable and Accessible Elections-Election Resource Network also reported security and voting disruptions. At Central Pilot Elementary School, a shooting at about 6:45 a.m. caused voters to flee, with some reportedly climbing onto the roof of a nearby store that later collapsed. Voting there began at 11 a.m. Six gunshots were heard at Rifao Elementary School in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte, while an automated counting machine malfunction in South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur halted voting for at least an hour. Machine malfunctions were also reported in Tugunan, Special Geographic Area (SGA), Marogong, Lanao del Sur and Basilan. The Citizens Coalition said more than 800 teachers withdrew as electoral board members in Maguindanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, the SGA and Lanao del Sur. In Cotabato City, 139 teachers did not attend the final testing and sealing of automated counting machines, prompting police to serve as boards of election inspectors. Despite the incidents, NAMFREL said most polling places it observed opened on time and had complete electoral boards, machines and election materials. It also reported generally peaceful voting in several areas of Maguindanao del Sur, the SGA and Marawi City. The Comelec said 5,113 of 5,212 clustered precincts, or 98.1%, had opened as of 7:49 a.m., based on its election monitoring dashboard. Basilan had the lowest opening rate at 81.46%, with 435 of 534 clustered precincts open. BANGSAMORO ‘MILESTONE’ President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. urged voters to participate and protect the integrity of the electoral process in a video message released on Monday. “This election marks a milestone in the continuing journey of the BARMM toward lasting peace, democratic governance and meaningful self-determination,” he said. “May the votes that you will cast help us identify good leaders who can strengthen the institutions of the Bangsamoro and contribute to the progress of Mindanao and the entire nation,” Mr. Marcos said. “Let us also safeguard the integrity of the ballot and preserve the peace that has made this democratic exercise possible.” The election will fill 80 seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament, comprising of 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives. The vote marks the transition from the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority, which has served as the region’s interim government, to an elected regional Parliament. The Bangsamoro Transition Authority will remain in place until elected officials assume office on Oct. 30 under Republic Act (RA) No. 12317, which moved the first regular parliamentary elections to the second Monday of September 2026. Mr. Garcia said the elections were “generally peaceful” despite “unfortunate incidents,” particularly in Cotabato City. “We are saddened. We condemn these kinds of incidents, especially when our fellow citizens have died,” he told a news briefing. Mr. Garcia said the violence had not deterred voters from going to polling places. “The high percentage (of voter turnout) that I mentioned is something we can reach because even though the sun is very hot today, our fellow citizens are still standing in long lines,” he said. “Even in areas where there was violence, the lines of those who want to vote are still long.” The Bangsamoro region was established under the 2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law following the 2014 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which sought greater autonomy for predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao after decades of separatist conflict. The election follows several delays to the first regular elections, which were originally intended to be held in 2022. RA 12317 set the election for Sept. 14 and provided that subsequent Bangsamoro elections would be synchronized with national and local elections beginning in 2031. The elected Parliament will exercise legislative powers under the region’s parliamentary system, while executive authority will be headed by a chief minister chosen by the Parliament.