Protests allege pre-shaded ballots, voter intimidation and votes cast by others, challenging whether contested parliamentary results reflect voters’ choices
COTABATO CITY (October 30) — Allegations that ballots were pre-shaded and votes cast without voters’ participation are putting the legitimacy of two winning candidates in the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections under scrutiny, prompting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to investigate protests from Maguindanao del Norte and one of the region’s Special Geographic Areas (SGAs).
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body had received two election protests alleging that ballots were marked before being fed into vote-counting machines, voters were intimidated, and some registered voters were prevented from casting their own ballots during the Sept. 14 elections.
If substantiated, the allegations could undermine confidence in whether the contested results accurately reflect the electorate’s choices. Garcia said Comelec could annul the election in affected areas, citing Supreme Court jurisprudence, but stressed that any action would be limited to the parliamentary position covered by the protest.
“’Yung allegation doon nung nagfile ng protesta ay pre-shading of ballots, tinakot ‘yung mga botante, hindi daw botante mismo ang bumoto,” Garcia said.
The allegations remain unproven. The winning candidates named in the protests will be given the opportunity to answer the complaints.
Unlike conventional election protests that seek a recount, the complainants asked Comelec to compare signatures in the election day computerized voters list (EDCVL) with those in official voter registration records. The comparison could help establish whether the people recorded as having voted were the registered voters themselves.
“Parehas ba talaga ang mga botanteng bumoto? Parehas ba ang pirma nila? Kung hindi at hindi ito nagtutugma, hindi talaga nakaboto ang mga botante,” Garcia said.
The distinction is crucial: counting ballots can establish totals, but it cannot by itself resolve allegations that votes were cast without the registered voters’ participation.
Maluso probe adds to election-integrity concerns
Separately, Comelec’s Law Department is investigating pre-shaded ballots discovered in Maluso, Basilan, on the eve of the BARMM parliamentary elections.
Garcia directed investigators to complete their findings before the end of the year and recommend possible charges and policy changes to prevent similar incidents.
The department has received responses from the town mayor, municipal treasurer, election officer and police officials subpoenaed in connection with the incident.
Garcia said one respondent had implicated members of the electoral board, prompting Comelec to issue additional subpoenas to those identified. The allegations against all respondents remain under investigation, and the commission has yet to determine liability.
The two protests and the Maluso investigation raise a broader question for the Bangsamoro’s first elected Parliament: whether election safeguards were sufficient to ensure that ballots represented voters’ actual choices.
The answer rests on evidence, not allegations alone. Comelec’s findings and any remedies it orders will be central to establishing accountability while protecting the due-process rights of those accused.
