Senators urge political camps to exercise restraint, respect first BARMM poll outcome

Senators have called for orderly and peaceful Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections on Monday, 14 September, amid persistent reports of vote-buying and localized violence that could undermine the historic polls after four years of postponements.

Sen. Kiko Pangilinan on Sunday appealed for restraint among political camps and stakeholders as reports of gun violence and heightened tensions in BARMM continued in the final days leading up to the elections.

Pangilinan expressed concern that election-related violence could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and result in low voter turnout, jeopardizing the purpose of the BARMM polls.

“Millions have endured years of conflict, displacement, grief, and sacrifice to reach this milestone. This election offers a path through which the people’s voice is heard not through the sound of gunfire, but through the free and equal exercise of their rights as citizens,” he said in Filipino.

“Enough blood has been shed. It is time for this land to yearn not for weapons, but for fields to till, livelihoods, harvests to reap, education, and a future shared by all,” he added.

Approximately 2.39 million voters will participate in the BARMM polls. They will cast their votes in 5,212 clustered precincts across 1,186 voting centers in the Bangsamoro region.

Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, a Mindanaoan, likewise urged all camps to refrain from any attempts to disrupt the first-ever parliamentary polls and to respect the right of BARMM residents to choose their leaders without fear or coercion.

“The Bangsamoro peace process has come a long way. Let us protect those gains by allowing the people to choose their leaders in peace, and by respecting the voice of the electorate once the votes are counted,” Zubiri said.

Zubiri is the principal author of Republic Act 11054, which created the BARMM in 2019.

Both Pangilinan and Zubiri called on the Commission on Elections and law enforcement agencies to step up efforts and remain vigilant against potential unrest on election day.

A monitoring bulletin by Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) showed that gun-related incidents increased to 58 from 16 July to 31 August despite the ongoing gun ban.

Among the violent incidents associated with the BARMM polls was the 15 August ambush of Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, shortly after he was elected to head the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, which is fielding candidates for parliament seats in the BARMM polls. Macacua survived the attack.

The BARMM covers five provinces — Basilan, excluding Isabela City; Lanao del Sur; Maguindanao del Norte; Maguindanao del Sur; and Tawi-Tawi — as well as three cities and 63 barangays.

Voters will elect 40 regional representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives to fill the 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament.

The inaugural BARMM parliamentary elections are pivotal as they mark the transition from an appointed transitional authority to a fully democratic, elected regional government. However, the polls have faced a series of postponements over the years.

The elections were initially scheduled for May 2022, but Congress passed a law resetting them to May 2025. They were later moved to October of the same year following the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling excluding Sulu from the BARMM.

The Supreme Court subsequently postponed the October polls after voiding the region’s parliamentary districting laws and deferred them to March 2026. The Comelec later postponed the elections due to time constraints in implementing the new districting law.

Congress eventually reset the BARMM parliamentary elections to 14 September under Republic Act 12317.