Three dead, 15 hurt in Cotabato shootout ahead BARMM polls

A shootout in front of a polling center has left three people dead while 15 others injured at Barangay Bagua 2 in Cotabato City in the late night of 13 September 2026, a few hours before the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections.

According to Police Regional Office - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region spokesperson Capt. Steffi Salanguit, the said shootout happened in front of the Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School, adding that two explosions also occurred on Sunday evening that left a person seriously injured.

Initial police investigation showed the victim, identified as Zainudin Macabuat, was carrying the explosive that prematurely went off at 8 p.m. near a school in Barangay Mother Kalanganan, Cotabato City.

Another blast occurred in Barangay Rosary Heights 10 at 9 p.m., but nobody was hurt.

At 5 p.m., a strafing incident occurred in the same village where no one was hurt.

In the Barangay Bagua 2 shooting, Salanguit said the fatalities and wounded victims remained unidentified.

“Initial investigation showed that two groups of men gathered in front of the school when an altercation occurred. Both were supporters of political parties,” Salanguit said.

Police have yet to determine what triggered the shooting and who the culprits were. Police recovered empty shells for .45-caliber and 9mm pistols.

Police and military authorities remained on alert for Monday’s BARMM polls.