Philippines: 5 Dead, 15 Wounded As Historic BARMM Elections Begin

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Five people were killed and 15 others were wounded as the Philippines ' first parliamentary elections in Muslim Mindanao get underway today (September 14). Several violent incidents such as explosions and gunfire were also reported throughout the region on the eve of the polls.

Bangsamoro regional police spokesperson Captain Steffi Salanguit said the shooting occurred between 11.40pm and 11.55pm on Sunday in front of Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2, Cotabato City.

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One of those killed was identified as 88-year-old Edar Kasan, while four others remain unidentified as of early Monday morning.

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Cotabato City Police Chief Colonel Jibin Bongcayao said the violence started over a dispute regarding queue positioning for supporters. Investigators reported that the confrontation had been brewing for hours as rival groups jostled for priority placement in the line.

"It started as a struggle for position in the queue between two groups. It led to shoving, escalated into a fistfight, and eventually gunfire broke out in a crowded area," Bongcayao said.

Despite earlier assurances by security authorities and the Commission on Elections (Comelec), poll violence has again reared its ugly head in the region where extreme political partisanship mixes with warlordism as election precincts open.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco told reporters: "The Comelec thought the preparations for today's elevation was smooth, but this violent incident happened. We hope there would not be more."

What is the election about?

Parts of southern Philippines are conducting their first elections today to establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM ) parliament, a self-governance mechanism for Muslim Filipinos.

It would replace the“failed experiment” called the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which was established in 1989. In 2019, an interim BARMM parliament was appointed, leading to today's historic vote.

Eighty positions would be elected over several provinces and a city that chose to join the autonomous region. Forty of the contested positions will be allocated to 12 vying regional parties, while the remaining 40 will consist of 32 elected parliamentary district representatives and eight parliamentary sectoral representatives.

Volatile elections

Many of the candidates, however, belong to entrenched political dynasties and elite families known to have private armies in a region that bristles with loose firearms. Elections in the region almost always involve various forms of election violations and violence, yielding deaths and injuries.

On Monday, election day staggered into a problematic beginning as 839 Cotabato City teachers refused to serve as election clerks due to fear.

Comelec chairperson Jorge Erwin Garcia sought to downplay the development on Sunday, saying the Commission respects the teachers' decision but wished it had been notified earlier. He assured that more than 2,000 police officers have been trained to act as substitutes for the teachers who refuse to act as election clerks.

The teachers' fears, however, had been well founded, as evidenced by Sunday night's violence.

Military and police checkpoints

The Western Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines had been augmented by army battalions from neighbouring regions, while the police deployed more than a thousand more for today's elections.

Military and police checkpoints were set up in all municipalities in the region that include armoured vehicles and artillery assets ordinarily seen in military operations. Mindanao had been placed under a red security alert.

Katungod Bangsamoro, one of several local and international observer missions in today's polls, has expressed concern about the militaristic environment of the elections.

“The continuing heavy presence of state security forces in many communities, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas, raises legitimate concerns about intimidation, restrictions on movement, and the ability of voters to freely exercise their right of suffrage,” Katungod said.

“We recognise the responsibility of security forces to protect voters, election personnel and the electoral process. But security must never become a source of fear,” the group added.

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