The first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were hit by violence, pre-shaded ballots, voting-machine problems and other disruptions Monday, while several areas reported peaceful voting.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) placed Cotabato City under its control after gunfire and an explosion were reported Sunday night.
Three people were killed and 15 others injured in a separate election-related shooting in the city, according to reports cited during the Comelec briefing.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the commission acted after the incidents. The Philippine National Police said the explosion involved an improvised explosive device. Garcia said the person carrying the device was injured.
In Maluso, Basilan, the Comelec found pre-shaded ballots in 36 of 68 precincts. The poll body said it had identified those responsible and ordered new ballots printed for the affected precincts.
Voting in Al-Barka, Basilan was extended until 9 p.m. after teachers could not immediately enter a voting center and secure election materials following a confrontation involving groups of Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and commanders and other partisan groups.
The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) also reported pre-shaded ballots, improper ballot handling and disruptions at several polling centers.
In Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur, a NAMFREL volunteer was reportedly handed a pre-shaded ballot.
At Pilot Central School in Cotabato City, a volunteer reported an intimidation and shooting incident and pre-shaded ballots allegedly favoring one party.
NAMFREL also reported that an electoral board member at Maguindanaon Elementary School in Sultan Kudarat allegedly shaded several official ballots and fed most of them into the vote-counting machine without the presence or authorization of the voters concerned.
At Ma’had Darul Arabie Islamic Institute in Sultan Kudarat, a voter reportedly inserted a ballot through an alternate opening without scanning it.
An electoral board member then tried to open the sealed ballot box to retrieve the unscanned ballot. Poll watchers objected, citing possible violations of election procedures and the chain of custody.
In Cotabato City, NAMFREL volunteers said police stopped them from entering Datu Usman Elementary School despite their identification and appointment letters.
The Citizens Coalition for Accountable and Accessible Elections-Election Resource Network also reported disruptions.
At Central Pilot Elementary School, a shooting at about 6:45 a.m. sent voters running from the area. Some reportedly climbed onto the roof of a nearby store, which later collapsed. Voting at the school began at 11 a.m.
Six gunshots were heard at Rifao Elementary School in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte, according to the group.
In South Upi, Maguindanao del Sur, an automated counting machine malfunction stopped voting for at least an hour. Similar problems were reported in Tugunan in the Special Geographic Area, Marogong in Lanao del Sur and Basilan.
The Citizens Coalition also said more than 800 teachers withdrew as members of electoral boards in Maguindanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, the Special Geographic Area and Lanao del Sur.
In Cotabato City, 139 teachers reportedly did not attend the final testing and sealing of automated counting machines. Police personnel were tapped to serve as boards of election inspectors.
Lanao Sur voting peaceful
In Lanao del Sur, however, Comelec officials reported a different picture.
Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Mohammad Nabil Mutia said voting was peaceful and orderly across the province as of 3 p.m. Monday.
He said no gunfire or other untoward incidents were reported during the final testing and sealing of election equipment or during voting.
Mutia described the elections as the most peaceful in the province’s history based on reports received by the Comelec.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police provided security at polling centers and helped facilitate the movement of voters.
Police Col. Caezar Cabuhat, Lanao del Sur police provincial director, said the province recorded 13 election-related incidents in 2025 but none during Monday’s polls as of the latest assessment.
Brig. Gen. Jessie Montoya, commander of the 103rd Infantry “Haribon” Brigade, said the security presence helped deter possible disturbances and encouraged residents to vote.
Lanao del Sur also had a shortage of electoral board members.
Mutia said 79 teachers did not continue serving on electoral boards. The Comelec deployed 79 police personnel as Special Electoral Boards in Masiu, Tugaya, Mulondo, Lumbaca Unayan and Taraka.
Some clustered precincts needed only one or two replacement board members, Mutia said, so the number of police personnel assigned varied among polling centers.
The Comelec had not released a partial voter turnout figure as of the briefing.
Mutia said releasing an early figure could give voters and observers a premature impression of turnout.
NAMFREL, for its part, said most polling places it monitored opened on time and had complete electoral boards, vote-counting machines and election materials.
The watchdog also reported generally peaceful voting in several areas of Maguindanao del Sur, the Special Geographic Area and Marawi City.
The reports showed a mixed picture of the first regular BARMM parliamentary elections: serious security and voting problems in some areas, but orderly and peaceful voting in others.
