BARMM Holds First Parliamentary Polls In Shadow Of Violence

A string of deadly election-related incidents marred the opening of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election on Monday, Sept. 14, leaving several people dead and dozens wounded in Cotabato City.

The violence began at around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13, when an explosion in a residential area in Purok Amirol, Barangay Kalanganan killed Zainodin Sapal Macabuat.

Police said Macabuat was waiting for a construction foreman when he saw a bright white light and heard an explosion. Shrapnel hit his torso that later led to his death.

At about 11:40 p.m., hours before voting opened, gunmen attacked people gathered near the Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2.

Three men – Caril Abdul Lumidsog, his brother Bain Abdul Lumidsog and Idar Kasan Andog – were killed while 15 others were wounded, according to Capt. Steffie Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro.

Bagua 2 chairman Fahad Singh said the victims were his companions. He said they were checking reports of gunmen near the school with volunteer community watchmen when an altercation reportedly broke out after people in the area jostled each other, leading to a heated argument and gunfire.

The three men were killed instantly while the wounded were brought to different hospitals for treatment. Police recovered empty shells believed to have come from .45-caliber and 9mm pistols.

The identities of the victims and shooters were still being verified as the Scene of the Crime Operations team processed the area.

Early on Monday, two men identified with a political party were also killed in a shootout at the Cotabato City Central Elementary School. One of their companions and an on-duty policeman were wounded.

At Sero Elementary School, two sport utility vehicles belonging to members of a rival party were destroyed while parked along Sinsuat Avenue outside the school campus.

The incident triggered panic among passersby and voters inside the school.

Investigators from the Cotabato City Police Office and barangay officials were working to identify those responsible.

Due to the series of incidents, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) placed all 37 barangays in Cotabato City under its control.

Police units from the Bangsamoro regional office and Regions 11 and 12, along with personnel from the 6th Marine Battalion of the Navy’s 1st Marine Brigade and the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, were deployed to secure polling sites across the city.

Election-related incidents were also reported in other parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In Basilan, the Comelec placed Maluso under its control after discovering pre-shaded ballots in 36 of the town’s 68 precincts.

The poll body said the discovery compromised the affected precincts and that it was investigating those behind the alleged tampering.

Voting was temporarily delayed while replacement official ballots were brought in.

In Al-Barka, polling centers initially failed to open after armed men reportedly prevented teachers serving as electoral board inspectors from proceeding to their assigned precincts.

Two feuding factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front clashed over the elections but eventually agreed to stand down following military intervention, allowing voting to proceed until 7 p.m.

In Maguindanao del Sur, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting reported an alleged case of unauthorized voting at Burarao Central Elementary School.

PPCRV national communications director Ana de Villa-Singson said a volunteer reported that a relative of a government official allegedly instructed his men to go to the polling precinct and cast votes on behalf of legitimate voters who had not yet voted.

The volunteer suspected that teachers may have colluded with the official’s relative, although Singson said this had not been established and that the teachers serving as Board of Election Inspectors could also have acted under duress.

“The BEI should not allow this to happen because the general instructions are clear. The BEI should not give ballots if the voter is not present. They cannot fill up the ballots, except if they are persons with disabilities,” Singson said. “We will bring this to the Comelec and mention it in our report.”

In Lamitan City, joint police and military forces recovered an improvised explosive device in Barangay Balobo at around 1:15 a.m., hours before voting began.

The device had been rigged on the roadside near a housing village and was found following an intelligence report.

The police provincial explosive and canine unit retrieved and safely detonated it at about 3:30 a.m. – With Mark Ernest Villeza, Bella Cariaso, Rhodina Villanueva, Roel Pareño, Evelyn Macairan