This year’s midterm elections saw at least 242 deaths and 719 violent incidents in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and in the province of Sulu from the filing of certificates of candidacy for local and national posts on Oct. 1, 2024 to May 13, 2025, a day after voting ended.
The region faced a surge in violence compared to the 165 deaths and 438 incidents recorded within a similar timeframe in the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, Climate Conflict Action senior program manager Liezl Bugtay disclosed in a May 16 media briefing organized by the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL).
“Most of those deaths are perpetrated through the use of a weapon,” she said, based on preliminary data they had received.
The proliferation of firearms in the area made it easy for mob groups to spread “unrest and intimidation of voters and poll watchers even before election day,” according to Jean Samaranos, Research Director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance. No details were provided.
She noted these mob groups in BARMM, particularly in the Maguindanao provinces, harassed voters and poll watchers and were involved in fist fights and brawls.
In Pandag, Maguindanao del Sur, “at least 70 families were displaced after around 40 armed men attacked” the town from May 9 to 10, just days before the May 12 polls, Samaranas reported.
NAMFREL also verified one election-related violent incident in Bayang and another in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, according to their tracker of incident reports.
Destruction of election equipment and paraphernalia was also recorded in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte as supporters of some candidates turned violent on election day, delaying the opening of polling centers to noontime.
Some 312 police special electoral board (SEB) members delivered election materials to help proceed with the polls and provide security in the precincts.
According to reports, over 3,000 trained police officers were on standby to serve as SEB members in BARMM.
Despite the intimidation and threats to their safety, voters still went to the polling centers to cast their ballots, Samaranos said. BARMM recorded a voter turnout of 66.34%, or 1.5 million out of 2.3 million registered voters.
Overall, the national police said the elections in the area were “generally peaceful.”
With the coming parliamentary elections in BARMM, scheduled on Oct. 13, NAMFREL National Chairperson Angel Averia, Jr. said the Independent Election Monitoring Center for the region and Sulu – composed of watchdog organizations, monitoring groups, media, and other civic groups – will further strengthen its partnerships and activities to prevent more bloodshed.
