The first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are finally underway on Monday, September 14, after four postponements.
Nearly 2.4 million registered voters across BARMM are casting their ballots to elect members of the region’s first regular Parliament since the autonomous region was established in 2019.
The 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament will be composed of representatives elected through a combination of party and district voting.
Voters are expected to make eight choices on their ballots, including votes for party representatives and district representatives, as well as other positions being contested in the elections.
The elections will determine the members of the Bangsamoro Parliament, the legislative body of BARMM established under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, or Republic Act No. 11054.
The following are the latest developments in the BARMM parliamentary elections:
- Reprinted ballots from Manila arrived in Maluso, Basilan at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, September 14. The election in Maluso has been extended until Tuesday, September 15, following an incident involving pre-shaded ballots.
- A candidate identified as Nasser G. Dalgan, a resident of Kulambog, Sultan sa Maguindanao, Maguindanao del Sur, withdrew his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) on the same day as the first-ever BARMM parliamentary elections.
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Personnel allegedly linked to the family of the mayor reportedly entered Barurao Central Elementary School in Maguindanao del Sur while the parliamentary elections were underway.
According to Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) spokesperson Ana Singson, they took the voters’ list and used the names of voters who had not yet cast their ballots for their candidates.
- The death toll has risen to four, while 19 others have been injured in incidents related to the BARMM parliamentary elections.
- A grenade explosion reportedly occurred outside Nabundas Elementary School in Barangay Nabundas, within the Special Geographic Area of BARMM, amid the parliamentary elections.
- The opening of BARMM’s first parliamentary elections was “generally peaceful,” according to the Philippine National Police (PNP), despite incidents of violence and delays in the opening of several precincts.
- Vice President Sara Duterte called for peaceful and orderly elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Monday, September 14.
- On Monday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. urged BARMM voters to protect the integrity of the ballot and preserve peace as they cast their votes in the region’s first regular parliamentary elections.
- Hours after the deadly shooting in Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2, violence again erupted at Central Pilot Elementary School in Cotabato City on Monday morning while voting was underway. At least one person was killed and three others were injured in the shooting inside the polling center.
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The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) placed Cotabato City and the municipality of Maluso in Basilan under its control following a series of violent incidents and reports of pre-shaded ballots.
COMELEC Chairman George Garcia said the decision was prompted by incidents reported before the elections, including a shooting, an explosion involving an improvised explosive device (IED), and allegations of pre-shaded ballots.
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The elections were marred by violence in Cotabato City on the eve of the polls. A shooting late Sunday killed three people and injured 15 others.
In a separate incident, an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded, injuring the person carrying the device. Another incident involved a gun being fired, although no injuries were reported.
