COTABATO CITY | Voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) cast ballots Monday in the region’s first parliamentary elections, a historic vote that marks a major step in the transition from decades of armed conflict and separatist struggle toward elected regional self-government.
Nearly 2.4 million registered voters were eligible to choose members of an 80-seat parliament that will exercise legislative powers over the autonomous region. The parliament will also elect the Bangsamoro chief minister, who will head the regional government. The election covers five provinces, three cities and 63 municipalities, according to the Commission on Elections and the Associated Press.
The vote was generally peaceful despite several incidents of violence and alleged election irregularities. Three people were killed and 15 others wounded in a shooting in Cotabato City late Sunday, while another person was killed Monday following a disturbance at a polling center. The Commission on Elections also assumed control of the election administration in Cotabato City.
In Basilan, voting in the town of Maluso was disrupted after pre-shaded ballots were reportedly discovered in 36 of 68 precincts. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia ordered the ballots reprinted and said those responsible would be held accountable. Despite the incidents, Comelec reported that 98.1% of polling stations had opened as of early Monday. More than 20,000 soldiers and police officers were deployed across the region to secure the elections.
The election is the culmination of a peace process that began after decades of rebellion by Muslim separatist groups seeking greater political autonomy in Mindanao. Under a 2014 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel organization agreed to abandon its demand for an independent state in exchange for meaningful regional autonomy. About 40,000 MILF fighters were expected to undergo a process of demobilization and transition to civilian life.
The agreement eventually led to the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2018 and a 2019 plebiscite that established the BARMM, replacing the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The new system gave the Bangsamoro greater authority over regional governance, legislation and development while creating a parliamentary form of government distinct from the presidential system used by the rest of the Philippines.
The region’s transition has not been without difficulties. The disarmament of former combatants has progressed but remains incomplete, while political divisions, clan rivalries and sporadic violence continue to present challenges to the peace process. Former MILF leaders have also entered electoral politics, competing alongside other regional groups and established political clans for seats in the new parliament.
The history behind the election is marked by decades of conflict. Since the 1970s, an estimated 150,000 combatants and civilians have died in fighting in the southern Philippines, according to the Associated Press. Years of violence also contributed to persistent poverty and underdevelopment in parts of Mindanao.
The region suffered another major conflict in 2017 when Islamic State-linked militants seized large portions of Marawi City. The five-month battle between militants and Philippine government forces killed more than 1,100 people, most of them militants, and destroyed large sections of the city. The siege became one of the most serious security crises in the Philippines in recent decades.
Monday’s election therefore carries significance beyond the selection of legislators. It represents the first time Bangsamoro voters have directly chosen the parliament that will govern their autonomous region under the political framework established by the peace agreement.
The 80-seat parliament will consist of representatives from regional parties, parliamentary districts and sectoral groups. Once organized, it will choose the chief minister and begin exercising the powers assigned to the Bangsamoro government under the Organic Law.
For many Bangsamoro voters, the election represents the latest chapter in a long struggle for political recognition and self-determination. Whether the new parliamentary system can translate that historic transition into lasting peace, effective governance and broader economic development will depend on the region’s ability to move beyond the violence and political divisions that have shaped its past.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
