COTABATO CITY (September 16) — The counting of votes in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) moved into its next phase Tuesday, with some winners already proclaimed while election delays and incomplete returns continued to hold up other results in the region’s historic first parliamentary elections.
In Basilan, formal proclamations of district winners remained on hold as election officials worked to complete and consolidate returns following voting extensions in two municipalities affected by ballot and logistical problems.
Basilan provincial election supervisor Miguel Roberto Dela Peña said local boards of canvassers could not proceed with formal proclamations until the required election returns from all affected precincts had been processed and consolidated.
The delays illustrate the uneven pace of the regional count, where election officials in some areas have already proclaimed winners while others continue to wait for complete returns.
Ballot problem extends voting in Maluso
Voting in Maluso was extended into Tuesday after election inspectors discovered compromised, pre-shaded ballots in 36 precincts on election day Monday.
Voting in the affected precincts was suspended while poll officials sought replacement ballots from central distribution points.
The incident delayed the completion of voting and, consequently, the transmission and consolidation of election returns from the affected areas.
In Al-Barka, voting was also delayed after difficult terrain and security concerns slowed the delivery of voting machines and election materials.
Election personnel and security escorts encountered difficulties moving equipment and official documents through difficult and potentially vulnerable routes, forcing voting hours to extend into the evening.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police increased security deployments around affected polling centers while replacement materials were delivered and voting proceeded.
Despite the disruptions, election officials said the overall conduct of the Basilan polls remained under control.
Partial count shows emerging Basilan winners
While official proclamations await completion of the required canvass, partial and unofficial figures from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) showed several candidates establishing leads in Basilan’s four parliamentary districts.
In the 1st Parliamentary District, covering Lamitan City, Rima Hassan of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) was leading with 52.4 percent of the partial vote.
In the 2nd District, covering Tuburan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Akbar and Al-Barka, Pai Sali of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) held a narrow lead with 48.2 percent.
In the 3rd District, covering Tipo-Tipo, Ungkaya Pukan and Sumisip, BFP’s Abrar Hataman had a commanding 90.6-percent lead.
Jay Hataman Salliman of BFP was also ahead in the 4th District, composed of Maluso, Lantawan, Hadji Muhtamad and Tabuan-Lasa, with 76 percent of the partial vote.
The figures remain unofficial and do not constitute a certificate of proclamation.
Election officials stressed that district winners can only be formally proclaimed after the required election returns have been received, verified and consolidated by the appropriate Board of Canvassers.
Five Lanao Sur winners already proclaimed
The situation was different in Lanao del Sur, where the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday proclaimed five of nine winning parliamentary district representatives.
Lanao del Sur election supervisor Mohammad Nabil Mutia said the proclamations were based on 97.79 percent of the parliamentary election returns canvassed in the province.
Those proclaimed were:
· Hamza Gauraki of UBJP, 2nd District;
· Lampa Pandi of UBJP, 4th District;
· Hosni Macapodi of SIAP, 6th District;
· Rayyan Mindalano of SIAP, 7th District; and
· Ahmad Amir Balindong of UBJP, 8th District.
Four other district winners will be proclaimed once canvassing is completed.
The provincial Board of Canvassers is conducting the canvass at the Lanao del Sur provincial capitol in Marawi City.
Mutia described the election in Lanao del Sur as peaceful, despite what he called minor incidents that did not affect the overall conduct of voting.
“There were minor incidents, but they did not in any way affect the overall conduct of elections,” Mutia said, describing the parliamentary election as the province’s most peaceful balloting so far.
From partial trends to official results
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia has emphasized that winning candidates and political organizations can only be formally proclaimed by the appropriate Board of Canvassers in an open session after all legal requirements have been met.
That distinction is increasingly important as partial counts provide an early picture of the emerging political balance in the first Bangsamoro Parliament.
The latest unofficial regional count showed the Bangsamoro Federalist Party leading the party vote, followed by the United Bangsamoro Justice Party and the Bangsamoro Grand Coalition. But party-vote totals do not by themselves determine the final composition of the 80-member Parliament, which includes district, party-system and sectoral representation.
For now, the numbers coming from watchdog tallies remain indicators rather than final results.
The continuing count also puts the spotlight on the election system’s ability to resolve localized disruptions without compromising the credibility of the overall result.
In Basilan, officials must complete delayed voting and consolidate the remaining returns. In Lanao del Sur, meanwhile, the first proclamations are already underway.
The first BARMM parliamentary election is therefore entering a crucial transition: from voting and transmission to verification, proclamation and, ultimately, the formation of the region’s first regularly constituted Parliament.
