Police conduct post-crime investigation in front of Datu Usman Mampen Elem. School in Barangay Bagua, Cotabato City, where a shooting occurred hours before today’s election that left three dead and more than 15 injured. (PNP photo)
DAVAO CITY (September 14) —Three people were killed and 15 others wounded in a shooting outside a polling center here late Sunday night, hours before voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were to cast their ballots in the region’s historic first parliamentary elections.
The shooting occurred at about 11:40 p.m. in front of the Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2, according to Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-BARMM (PRO-BAR). The identities of those killed and wounded were not immediately established as police continued their investigation.
Initial police reports showed that two groups of men had gathered in front of the school when an altercation broke out. The groups were reportedly supporters of political parties. The confrontation later escalated into gunfire, leaving three people dead and 15 others wounded. Police recovered spent shells from .45-caliber and 9mm pistols at the scene. Authorities had yet to determine what triggered the shooting, identify the gunmen, or establish which group fired first.
The shooting came after a series of violent incidents reported in different parts of Cotabato City earlier Sunday, casting a shadow over the eve of the first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro region.
At about 8 p.m., an explosion near a school in Barangay Mother Kalanganan critically wounded a man identified by police as Zainudin Macabuat. Initial investigation indicated that Macabuat was carrying the explosive when it prematurely detonated.
Another explosion was reported at about 9 p.m. in Barangay Rosary Heights 10. No one was injured in that incident. At about 5 p.m., a strafing incident was also reported in the same village, although no injuries were recorded.
Police had yet to establish whether the separate incidents were connected to one another or directly related to the parliamentary elections.
The violence nevertheless heightened security concerns as BARMM voters prepared to participate in an election that represents a major milestone in the region’s transition to parliamentary government. The 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament will replace the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority and is expected to play a central role in shaping the region’s government under the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
The elections are the product of the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which culminated in the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The parliamentary system is intended to give the Bangsamoro a stronger mechanism for self-governance and to shift political competition toward democratic institutions, elections, and legislative governance.
But the transition is taking place in a region where political rivalries, clan conflicts, armed groups, and longstanding disputes continue to pose security challenges. Conflict-monitoring groups have repeatedly identified rido, or clan-based violence, as one of the persistent sources of instability in parts of the Bangsamoro. Such conflicts can involve disputes over land, political influence, personal grievances, and electoral competition.
Election-related violence has also been a recurring concern in the region. Shootings, intimidation, clan conflicts,s and other violent incidents have marked previous elections in areas now comprising BARMM. The 2022 elections, for example, saw election-related deaths and violent incidents in several areas of the Bangsamoro, prompting the deployment of additional police and military forces.
The security situation was already a major concern ahead of Monday’s vote. Authorities had identified numerous areas in BARMM as election areas of concern. They deployed thousands of police and military personnel to secure polling centers, protect voters, and prevent armed groups from influencing the electoral process.
The Cotabato City shooting therefore presented an immediate challenge to those security preparations. Coming only hours before voting began and occurring outside a school designated as a polling center, the incident raised fears that violence could intimidate voters or disrupt the electoral process.
Authorities remained on heightened alert as security forces moved to secure polling centers and prevent further incidents. Investigators were also expected to determine whether the confrontation was a spontaneous clash between political supporters or part of a broader election-related conflict.
For the Bangsamoro, the first parliamentary elections matter beyond selecting lawmakers. The vote is widely seen as a critical test of whether the region can consolidate the gains of the peace process and build political institutions that can replace armed confrontation and clan-based disputes with electoral and parliamentary competition.
The bloodshed in Cotabato City on the eve of the vote showed how difficult that transition is. While authorities had yet to establish a direct connection between the shooting and the elections, the involvement of political supporters and the location of the incident placed the violence squarely within an already tense electoral environment.
As voters went to the polls, authorities’ immediate challenge was to ensure the violence did not spread and that voters could exercise their right to choose members of the Bangsamoro’s first elected Parliament freely and safely.-Editha Z Caduaya
