MANILA, Philippines — Around 88.11 percent of voting centers across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have opened so far for its first parliamentary elections, according to the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) monitoring.
In a statement on Monday, the PNP said its monitoring showed that 1,045 out of 1,186 voting centers had opened as of 8 a.m.
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Around 2.39 million voters in the region are expected to troop to the polls to vote for 80 seats in the BARMM parliament.
Regular voting was set to start at 7 a.m., but some areas had reportedly experienced delays.
The national police force noted earlier pronouncements that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had taken control of Cotabato City following a purported explosion and a shooting incident; and Maluso town in Basilan after reports of allegedly pre-shaded ballots.
“Comelec is facilitating the delivery of replacement ballots from Manila, while the PNP continues to provide the necessary security and police assistance in coordination with election authorities,” the law enforcement agency explained.
“The PNP is likewise maintaining heightened security in 93 identified election areas of concern across BARMM, including 27 areas classified under the red category, with additional police presence, closer monitoring and strengthened coordination with other agencies,” it added.
Despite these developments, in another statement, the PNP maintained that the BARMM parliamentary elections were so far “generally peaceful and orderly.”
“As voting continues, the PNP remains closely monitoring developments on the ground and maintaining police presence in and around voting centers,” it said.
For its part, the PNP previously said it was deploying over 10,000 police officers for security measures during the polls and maintaining the full alert status across the region’s units until September 30.
In his remarks at Camp Crame’s flag-raising ceremony earlier on Monday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. reminded deployed officers to remain “apolitical, impartial, vigilant and professional.”
“Protect the voters, respect the electoral process, and perform your duties without fear or favor. Let us ensure a peaceful, orderly and credible election,” he added. /jpv
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