COTABATO CITY, Philippines — A violent confrontation erupted outside a polling center in Cotabato City just hours before the 2026 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections, leaving three people dead and 15 others wounded.
The shooting happened late Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Datu Usman Mampen school site in Barangay Bagua 2, where voters and political supporters had gathered ahead of Monday’s historic polls.
Dispute over voting queue escalated into gunfire
According to Cotabato City police chief Col. Jibin Bongcayao, the confrontation began when supporters of rival political factions disputed their positions in the queue.
The disagreement reportedly escalated from an argument into shoving and a physical confrontation before gunfire erupted in the crowded area.
Police said the groups involved were associated with rival political camps that emerged from the region’s long-running political and armed conflicts.
Authorities continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting and identifying those responsible.
3 killed, 15 wounded
The violence resulted in three fatalities and 15 injuries, according to Philippine authorities and multiple media reports.
The wounded were taken to medical facilities for treatment. Reports from local media said the victims included people who had been waiting at the school to vote.
The incident immediately raised concerns because it occurred at a voting site on the eve of the region’s first parliamentary elections.
Violence casts shadow over historic BARMM election
The shooting came as the BARMM prepared for a landmark political transition.
The Sept. 14, 2026 parliamentary elections are the first elections for the Bangsamoro parliament, following the region’s long peace process and the establishment of the autonomous government.
The vote is intended to strengthen the region’s new parliamentary system and represents a major milestone in the peace process that has shaped politics in Muslim Mindanao for decades.
But the election-eve violence highlighted the security challenges that remain in a region historically affected by political rivalries, armed conflict and clan-based disputes.
Security tightened across the region
More than 20,000 security personnel were deployed across BARMM voting areas for the election, according to AFP reporting.
The security operation was designed to protect voters, election workers and polling facilities during the historic vote.
The Cotabato City shooting was not the only security incident reported around the election.
Authorities also investigated an explosion near another location in the city. In that case, a man was reportedly injured, with authorities examining whether an explosive device was involved.
Cotabato City placed under COMELEC control
The violence had wider consequences for the conduct of the election.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) placed Cotabato City and Maluso, Basilan, under its control following reports of election-related violence and other incidents, including the discovery of pre-shaded ballots.
Under COMELEC control, the poll body assumes a more direct role in supervising local officials and law enforcement agencies to help ensure that voting proceeds in an orderly and peaceful manner.
A crucial test for Bangsamoro’s peace process
The shooting is particularly significant because the BARMM parliamentary elections represent a major step in the region’s political evolution.
The Bangsamoro peace process was created to move political disputes away from armed confrontation and toward an autonomous system of governance.
The election therefore carries significance far beyond the individual contests on the ballot.
A peaceful vote would reinforce confidence in the region’s new political institutions. Election-related violence, meanwhile, underscores how difficult it can be to translate years of peace-building into stability on the ground.
For voters in Cotabato City and across BARMM, the challenge is now clear: protect the integrity of the ballot while preventing political rivalries from turning violent.
The election has begun under an extraordinary security spotlight — and the events in Cotabato City could become one of the defining tests of the region’s historic first parliamentary vote.
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