By Tracy Cabrera
INTRAMUROS, Manila — Four people were killed, and 14 others injured as violence and election-related incidents marred the opening of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Monday.
Despite the incidents, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said there would be no failure of election, citing efforts to address security concerns and other irregularities reported during the polls.
The fatalities and injuries were recorded in Cotabato City, which, along with Maluso, Basilan, had been placed under Comelec control amid heightened security concerns.
Police said the violence in Cotabato City began before dawn when Barangay Bagua 2 Chairman Fahad Singh and village guards went to an elementary school after receiving reports that armed men had gathered in the area.
Authorities said the armed group opened fire with high-powered rifles as the barangay officials and their companions approached. Two of Singh’s companions were killed, while 13 others were wounded.
One of the injured victims later died while being treated at a local hospital, bringing the death toll from the shooting to three.
Another person was killed when a grenade exploded at Amirol Elementary School in Barangay Kalanganan Mother on Sunday night, according to authorities.
Residents told police investigators that the attacks may have been linked to political rivalries surrounding the parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, the Comelec declared ballots in 36 precincts in Maluso, Basilan, compromised after their security seals were found breached.
Garcia said the poll body was considering extending voting in the affected area while Comelec personnel replaced and verified the ballots.
“Voting could be allowed to continue until today if necessary,” Garcia said, stressing that such an extension would constitute a continuation of the elections and not a postponement or resetting of the polls.
ia/xf
