FOUR people were killed while 18 others got injured during the conduct of the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
In a press conference Monday, September 14, 2026, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said a total of four died while 18 got injured in two separate incidents in Cotabato City.
“We are saddened. We condemn such incidents, especially those that result in the deaths of our fellow citizens,” said Garcia.
A total of three people were killed while 15 were injured during a shooting incident in Barangay Bagua Dos, Cotabato City on late Sunday.
On Monday morning, Garcia said a shooting incident in Cotabato City Central Pilot School also resulted to the death of one civilian while three others got injured.
“Aside from the incidents here in Cotabato City, there have been no other violent events in other parts of the Bangsamoro,” said Garcia.
In Basilan, the poll chief said the replacement ballots for the 36 polling precincts are already en route to Maluso.
“The reprinted ballots are already at the airport, ready to be loaded onto the flight to Zamboanga. A helicopter will then head straight to Maluso. We can start voting, and then we’ll see if we need to extend the voting period,” said Garcia.
Also in Basilan, the commission decided to extend voting hours by two more hours or until 9 p.m.
This was after the start of voting was delayed until 10:30 a.m. following a heated argument between partisan groups and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“The en banc had decided to extend the voting for two hours or until 9 p.m. in Al-Barka in Basilan,” said Garcia.
Despite this, the poll chief said they view the BPE as being generally peaceful so far.
“At present, we can say that our elections are generally peaceful,” said Garcia.
He also expressed confidence that they will still be able to meet their 80 percent voter turnout projection.
“Whether there’s gunfire, chaos, or fistfights—it doesn’t really matter. They will vote,” said Garcia. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
