THE COMMISSION on Elections (COMELEC) has placed Cotabato City and Maluso, Basilan, under its direct control on Monday, September 14, following a surge of deadly violence and ballot-tampering allegations that marred the opening of the historic 1st BARMM Parliamentary Elections.
Despite the Philippine National Police (PNP) describing the overall voting process across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as “generally peaceful,” a wave of overnight and early morning incidents left three people dead, at least 16 others injured—including a police officer—and forced emergency security interventions.
Deadly Overnight Incidents in Cotabato City
LTCOL Ronald Suscano, commander of the 6th Civil-Military Operations Battalion, confirmed to TIMES on Monday afternoon a series of violent clashes across Cotabato City leading up to election day:
- Grenade Blast: A grenade exploded in Barangay Kalanganan at around 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 13.
- Drive-By Shooting: At 8 p.m. on Sunday, gunmen in a black Toyota Grandia opened fire on supporters of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) near a mosque in Brgy. Rosary Heights 10 before fleeing. No injuries were reported in the drive-by.
- Fatal Queue Clash: Before midnight, at around 11 p.m., a heated confrontation broke out among men lining up outside Datu Usman Elementary School in Brgy. Bagua 2. The altercation escalated into a shooting that killed three people and wounded 15 others.
- Polling School Attack: At 7 a.m. on Monday, fresh gunfire erupted at the Cotabato City Central Pilot School as voting was starting. A police officer was wounded in the chaos, prompting security forces to clear out voters and election watchers to secure the area.
Meanwhile, in Sultan Mandayan, Matanog, Maguindanao del Norte, police were forced to fire a warning shot on Monday morning to disperse chaotic crowds and restore order inside a crowded polling precinct.
Pre-Shaded Ballots in Basilan
In Maluso, Basilan, COMELEC declared total control after authority teams discovered pre-marked ballots across 36 polling precincts prior to the official start of voting.
Video footage circulating online showed official ballots already bearing shades on candidate slots.
COMELEC immediately ordered emergency reprints and rushed replacement ballot shipments to Basilan to prevent disenfranchisement.
The PNP noted that 22 polling precincts in Basilan had yet to open as of Monday noon.
Historic Balloting and High-Profile Figures
Despite the disruptions, prominent figures cast their votes in the landmark political exercise.
MILF Chairman and UBJP Vice President Al Haj Murad Ebrahim cast his ballot in Pahamuddin, Special Geographic Area (SGA), while MP Abdullah Macapaar (popularly known as “Commander Bravo”) also voted earlier in the day.
Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) has deployed reinforced units and standby tactical teams in close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to secure remaining open precincts and safeguard election staff.
