MARAWI CITY — Lanao del Sur emerged from the historic first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections without reported violent incidents in the province, with police authorities crediting extensive security preparations and support from augmentation units for helping keep voting peaceful and orderly.
Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office Director Col. Caezar Cabuhat praised the police units and other security personnel who reinforced the province during the Sept. 14 elections, saying their combined efforts helped maintain order while voters exercised their right to participate in the region’s first parliamentary polls.
The province’s experience stood out amid the broader security challenges surrounding the historic BARMM elections.
No Reported Violence in Lanao del Sur
The Philippine Information Agency reported that Comelec officials described the conduct of the elections in Lanao del Sur as peaceful and orderly.
Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Mohammad Nabil Mutia said no untoward incidents were reported from final testing and sealing through election day, including no reported gunfire connected to supporters of candidates or political parties.
Cabuhat noted that Lanao del Sur had recorded 13 election-related incidents in 2025, making the absence of reported incidents during the 2026 parliamentary elections particularly notable.
Authorities attributed the peaceful conduct to coordination among the police, military, Comelec, local governments, community leaders and other stakeholders, along with preparations carried out before election day.
Police Reinforcements Helped Secure Polling Areas
Security preparations were extensive.
The Police Regional Office-10 previously deployed 901 personnel to Lanao del Sur ahead of the elections. The contingent included 850 personnel from PRO-10 and 51 personnel from national support units.
Among them were personnel assigned to Special Electoral Boards, Quick Response Teams and specialized units supporting maritime security, highway patrol, explosives and canine operations, and medical services.
Additional military forces were also deployed as authorities prepared for the first parliamentary elections in BARMM.
PNA reported before election day that Mindanao law-enforcement and military units were reinforcing existing security forces across the region to help the Commission on Elections conduct the polls safely.
79 Teachers Did Not Report for Election Duty
Despite the generally smooth election, authorities faced an operational challenge when 79 teachers did not continue serving on electoral boards in several Lanao del Sur municipalities.
Police personnel were deployed as Special Electoral Boards to fill the vacancies and keep polling operations running.
MindaNews reported that the affected areas included Masiu, Tugaya, Mulondo, Marantao and Lumbaca-Unayan. Election officials said the reasons behind the teachers’ withdrawal would still need to be investigated.
The deployment allowed voting to proceed despite the shortage of trained election personnel.
Lanao del Sur Played a Major Role in the Historic Poll
The province was particularly important to the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections because of its large electorate.
SunStar reported that Lanao del Sur accounts for roughly 30 percent of BARMM’s registered voters. The province also saw participation from former Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces combatants, highlighting the continuing transition from armed struggle toward political participation under the Bangsamoro peace process.
The peaceful conduct was therefore viewed by security officials as more than simply an orderly election day: it also demonstrated the role of communities and institutions in supporting the region’s political transition.
Wider BARMM Election Had Isolated Incidents
The peaceful situation in Lanao del Sur should not be confused with the security picture across the entire BARMM.
The PNP reported seven suspected election-related incidents during election day, including a deadly shooting in Cotabato City.
The Palace subsequently described the Sept. 14 BARMM elections as generally peaceful and orderly, while acknowledging isolated incidents of violence. The PNP’s initial nationwide assessment put voter turnout at 82.41 percent, subject to increase as remaining voting centers completed their processes.
That distinction is important: Lanao del Sur’s reported experience was notably peaceful, but it does not mean the entire BARMM election was completely free of security incidents.
A Test for Bangsamoro’s Democratic Transition
The 2026 parliamentary election marked a significant stage in the implementation of the Bangsamoro political transition.
For Lanao del Sur, the absence of reported violent incidents during voting allowed election authorities and security personnel to focus on maintaining access to polling places and ensuring that voters could participate.
Cabuhat’s recognition of the supporting police units reflects the scale of coordination required to secure an election across a province with challenging geography, a large electorate and a history of election-related security concerns.
The experience also underscored how security forces, election officials, local communities and political stakeholders can collectively shape the conditions under which voters exercise their rights.
As BARMM moves forward with its new parliamentary system, the peaceful conduct reported in Lanao del Sur offers an important snapshot of how the region’s transition from conflict toward democratic political participation is unfolding.
