Turnout holds strong as BARMM completes milestone parliamentary vote amid security hurdles

COTABATO CITY -- Bangsamoro voters defied isolated violence and logistical hurdles on Monday to cast ballots in the autonomous region's first parliamentary elections, a historic milestone born out of decades of peace negotiations.

While scattered incidents—including deadly violence in Cotabato City and pre-shaded ballots in Maluso, Basilan—prompted the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place both areas under direct control, election officials reported that 98.1 percent of polling precincts opened successfully.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the disruptions did not derail the broader conduct of voting across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

More than 20,000 police and military personnel were deployed to secure polling places.

In Maluso, where pre-shaded ballots were found in 36 of 68 precincts, authorities ordered ballot reprints and extended voting hours.

The Philippine National Police maintained that the overall conduct remained generally peaceful despite localized shootings and explosions.

The polls mark the culmination of a peace process rooted in the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, transitioning the region from decades of armed conflict to democratic governance.

Nearly 2.4 million registered voters participated to elect an 80-member parliament, which will choose a chief minister and replace the region's interim government.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hailed the election as a milestone in the region's journey toward lasting peace and self-determination, urging voters to safeguard the integrity of their ballots.