The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported no untoward incidents so far in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) a day before its historic first parliamentary election.
Comelec Chairman Atty. George Garcia, in an interview with DZRH’s Maynila Ito ang Pilipinas, said the overall situation in the Bangsamoro remained peaceful as preparations for Monday’s historic polls were completed.
“Very peaceful po ang kalagayan ngayon dito sa Bangsamoro, wala po tayong kahit na anong untoward incidents,” Garcia said.
He said the Comelec successfully conducted the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) of Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) in all 5,212 polling precincts in the region.
Garcia said teachers who will serve as election personnel were present during the preparations, while all election-related supplies and equipment delivered to the polling places were also confirmed complete.
He added that minor technical issues encountered during testing were immediately resolved, while replacement machines were promptly deployed whenever necessary.
To ensure that technical problems during election day are addressed immediately, Comelec has also deployed technical personnel across 1,186 polling centers in BARMM.
Garcia said standby ACMs are also available, with 10 machines allocated per municipality and 20 per city in the region.
The Comelec chief also said contingency plans are in place in case some teachers assigned to serve on electoral boards are unable to report for duty.
“Kung mayroon pong hindi makapaglingkod o makapag-serve na mga guro bukas sa araw ng eleksyon, mayroon tayong mga nakahanda na electoral board na mga PNP personnel upang humalili o pumalit,” Garcia said.
Garcia further noted that only one election-related incident has been recorded in BARMM since May, which he described as unusual in the history of the region.
He also said only three firearms have been confiscated since the election gun ban was imposed.
“Isa lang ang related incident simula pa noong Mayo, ito'y pambihira sa kasaysayan ng Bangsamoro,” Garcia said, expressing hope that the peaceful situation would continue through election day and until the conclusion of the polls.
Around 2.393 million registered voters in BARMM are expected to participate in the region’s first parliamentary election on September 14, 2026.
