Four people died and 20 others were injured during the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Sept. 14, amid shootings, explosive blasts, and widespread allegations of fraud that prompted direct control measures from the Commission on Elections.
Cotabato City Shootings and Explosive Blasts Mar Election Day
The historic first parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao turned violent despite a combined 20,000-strong military and police deployment intended to secure the polls. Violence broke out hours before polling centers opened and continued through voting day across multiple sites. While the combined 20,000-strong military and police deployment significantly reduced tensions and made the polls more peaceful than previous ones, several cases of violent incidents, mostly in Cotabato City, still marred the historic event.
At 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, a shooting in front of Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2 left three people dead and 15 wounded. Cotabato police chief Jibin Bongcayao explained that the violence began as a dispute over queue placement among rival political factions.
“It started as a struggle for position in the queue between two groups. It led to shoving, escalated into a fistfight and eventually, gunfire broke out in a crowded area.”Jibin Bongcayao, Cotabato police chief
Another shooting occurred nearly two hours after voting started Monday inside Cotabato City Central Pilot Elementary School along Sinsuat Avenue in Poblacion 6. Four people were hurt and one of them later died. Among those injured was Patrolman Justeen Reo Ga, assigned to the Dinagat Islands provincial police office. Later in the day, an explosive device detonated at another downtown school, wounding the individual carrying it. Colonel Allen Rae Co, Philippine National Police public information chief, stated that the injured carrier was receiving treatment at a hospital under police watch.
“He’s being treated at the hospital as of now. He’s stable. We’re waiting to be able to question him.”Allen Rae Co, Philippine National Police public information chief
Commission on Elections Imposes Direct Control Over Troubled Areas
The cluster of violent incidents and reported irregularities prompted the Commission on Elections to place Cotabato City under its direct control. In Basilan, the town of Maluso faced identical intervention after officials discovered that ballots across 36 of 68 precincts had been preshaded.
At around noon, tension erupted at Sero Central Elementary School in this city, as government forces confronted unidentified men wielding sticks and steel rods who had destroyed two luxury vehicles outside. Commission Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced that voting was halted in the affected Maluso precincts, which encompass 16,563 registered voters. Freshly printed replacement ballots were ordered from the National Printing Office in Quezon City to be flown by helicopter from Zamboanga to Basilan, potentially extending voting timelines through Tuesday.
Meanwhile, voters in Lantawan town reported ballot shortages that disenfranchised more than 300 individuals, according to Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman. In Marantao, Lanao del Sur, Mindanao State University professor Tirmizy Abdullah reported that several of his close relatives were barred from voting because their names on the master list had already been signed by unauthorized individuals.
Election Watchdogs Flag Multiple Voting and Impersonation
Independent election monitors documented systematic irregularities on the ground.
Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua condemned the violence and irregularities as deeply alarming. While police officials maintained that the broader regional election remained generally peaceful outside of these targeted flashpoints, authorities continue investigating the disturbances as accountability measures develop.
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