Malacañang: Most Mindanao killings not election-related
Text size
Clear criteria needed for its use
Marathon dancing is not for the faint-hearted. Nigerian professional dancer Benjamin Daniel did it in an attempt to set…
A war of words has erupted between the Chinese Embassy in Manila and the maritime research group SeaLight over…
Marcos acknowledged the Philippines still has significant ground to cover relative to its regional and global peers.
Malacañang on Monday disputed claims by Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) that more than 220 deaths in Mindanao this year were linked to the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.
According to the CCAA, 235 people were killed from January to July 2026, including 28 deaths allegedly connected to the 14 September BARMM elections.
However, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, citing the Commission on Elections (Comelec), said most of the reported incidents were not election-related.
"At ayon din naman po sa Comelec, iyong nasasabing mga isyu ng violence ay hindi po election-related, personal conflicts ito," Castro said during a Palace press briefing.
She said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the first regular BARMM parliamentary elections to be peaceful and orderly.
Castro added that the Philippine National Police (PNP) welcomed the CCAA report and would verify the figures cited.
She said the PNP continues to conduct law enforcement operations against private armed groups and other security threats while maintaining close coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Comelec through Joint Security Control Centers.
The government has also intensified intelligence gathering, community engagement and the strict enforcement of political neutrality among security personnel, she added.
According to the PNP, 8,299 police personnel have already been deployed to secure the BARMM elections, with additional forces to be sent if requested by the Comelec.
Castro also said the PNP, AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard are working together to strengthen security, particularly in election areas of concern identified by the Comelec.
She assured the public that both the PNP and AFP are prepared to ensure peaceful, orderly and violence-free elections in BARMM.
The 14 September polls will be the first regular parliamentary elections under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (Republic Act No. 11054), as amended by Republic Act No. 12317.
Voters will elect 80 members of the Bangsamoro Parliament: 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives, who will serve until 30 June 2031.
The newly elected Parliament will then choose the region's Chief Minister.
