COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Less than three weeks before the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao holds its historic first regular parliamentary elections, police have recorded 43 gun-related incidents across BARMM since the election gun ban took effect on July 16, leaving 14 people dead and eight others wounded.
The latest figures, released by the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), underline the security challenge facing authorities as approximately 2.3 million voters prepare to elect members of the Bangsamoro Parliament on September 14, 2026.
But authorities are making an important distinction: the 43 shootings should not automatically be treated as election-related violence.
Police said investigations have linked the incidents to a range of motives, including personal grudges, revenge, illegal-drug activities and rido — the long-running family or clan feuds that remain a security concern in parts of Mindanao.
Maguindanao Provinces Account for Most Shootings
PRO-BAR spokesperson Capt. Steffi Salanguit said the 43 incidents recorded through Tuesday, August 25, were distributed as follows:
- Maguindanao del Sur — 16 incidents
- Maguindanao del Norte — 14
- Lanao del Sur — 7
- Basilan — 4
- Cotabato City — 2
Together, the two Maguindanao provinces accounted for 30 of the 43 recorded incidents, or nearly 70 percent of the total.
The latest violence included two fatal shootings on Tuesday.
A solar-panel installer was shot dead in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, while another man was killed in Cotabato City in an attack witnessed by his wife, according to police.
In Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur, a village watchman was also wounded after allegedly being shot by his older brother following an argument.
Just days earlier, separate attacks in the two Maguindanao provinces killed several people, including a businessman and his driver in an ambush along a highway in Datu Saudi Ampatuan. Another man was later shot dead in Datu Odin Sinsuat.
Gun Ban Is in Force — So Why Are Shootings Continuing?
The Comelec election period for the BARMM parliamentary polls runs from July 16 through September 29, 2026, with restrictions on carrying firearms and deadly weapons unless an individual has obtained a valid exemption from the Commission on Elections.
Comelec Chair George Garcia earlier warned that firearm licenses alone do not automatically authorize people to carry weapons during the election period. Exemptions must be secured from the poll body for qualified individuals, including those facing documented security threats or whose duties require them to carry firearms.
Despite the continuing shootings, security operations have led to arrests and weapons seizures.
A Comelec monitoring report covering July 16 to August 21 recorded 15 gun-ban violations and 19 arrests. Authorities had also confiscated firearms, explosives and ammunition while conducting tens of thousands of checkpoints throughout the region.
PNP monitoring cited by BusinessMirror later showed that 175 firearms had been surrendered by August 22, while another 27 firearms were confiscated during gun-ban operations.
Security forces had conducted 24,472 Comelec checkpoints by that stage, including strategic checkpoints, mobile checkpoints, border-control operations and joint PNP-AFP checkpoints.
Those numbers show the scale of the security operation — but the continuing shootings demonstrate the limits of a gun ban when firearms remain available through illegal possession, clan conflicts and criminal networks.
Not Every Shooting Is an Election-Related Incident
The distinction matters.
A gun-related incident occurring during an election gun ban is not automatically considered an election-related incident, or ERI. Authorities must establish whether the attack was connected to electoral activity, candidates, political rivalries or the conduct of the election.
As of August 21, Comelec monitoring listed one suspected violent election-related incident but no validated ERI.
A subsequent PNP monitoring report cited by BusinessMirror said one election-related incident had been validated as of August 22.
That remains a dramatically smaller number than the 43 gun-related incidents recorded by regional police.
The distinction also reinforces earlier statements from government officials that some of the violence reported in BARMM has stemmed from personal disputes and other non-election motives rather than organized attempts to disrupt the parliamentary vote.
Ambush of BARMM Chief Raised the Stakes
Security concerns intensified after armed men attacked the convoy of BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, on August 15.
Gunmen using assault rifles fired on three vehicles in the convoy, including Macacua’s bulletproof vehicle. Macacua and his companions escaped unharmed.
The attack came less than a month before election day and prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to order authorities to strengthen security and investigate those responsible.
Malacañang nevertheless maintained that the September 14 election would proceed, saying the attack should not derail BARMM’s transition toward an elected parliamentary government.
Security officials are dealing with a much broader risk map as well.
Earlier PNP figures showed 108 areas across BARMM identified by Comelec as “areas of concern”, covering varying levels of election-security risk. Lanao del Sur had the largest concentration of locations under the highest-risk red classification.
Historic Election Now Faces a Security Test
The September 14 vote will mark another major stage in the Bangsamoro peace and political transition, shifting the region from the interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority toward a parliament chosen directly by voters.
The election period lasts until September 29, meaning the gun ban will remain in force even after ballots are cast.
President Marcos has also declared September 14 a special non-working day in BARMM to allow residents to participate in the elections.
For police, the military and Comelec, however, the weeks ahead will be about more than enforcing checkpoints and confiscating weapons.
With 43 gun-related incidents, 14 deaths and eight wounded since July 16, authorities must prevent personal feuds, criminal violence and illegal firearms from spilling over into an election already carrying enormous historical and political significance.
BARMM’s first regular parliamentary election is approaching.
The question now is whether an unprecedented security deployment — and one of the region’s most closely watched gun bans — can keep the violence from casting a shadow over election day.
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