BARMM polls: 1 killed, 3 hurt in Cotabato polling center shooting
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – At least one person was killed after gunfire broke out inside a voting center for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) first parliamentary elections on Monday, September 14.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said three others were injured in the shooting in Central Pilot Elementary School in Cotabato City, which happened minutes before 7 am.
Voting in the school was already delayed as the automated counting machines arrived nearly an hour after the scheduled early voting at 5 am.
Before the shootout, a commotion occurred involving groups of men, who, at one point, were throwing stones at each other.
Rappler saw a wounded man in that commotion, who said he was punched. He claimed that he was not a voter in the school but a poll watcher.
When gunfire erupted, voters ran to safety, while military personnel from the Philippine government continued to secure the premises.
Voting resumed at the Central Pilot Elementary School before noon.
Before noon, voting resumed at the Central Pilot Elementary School. During their visit, Garcia assured voters there that it was safe to vote in the polling center.
Garcia said some teachers decided not to continue their election service due to the shooting. Uniformed personnel tapped to be special electoral board members immediately replaced the teachers so that the process could continue.
But by 4:05 pm, voters heard another explosion in the school compound.
“Based on the initial assessment, no victim or injured individual was reported in connection with the incident. The Cotabato City Explosive and Canine Unit has already been deployed to the area to conduct the necessary security and procedures and assessment,” the Cotabato City police said.
It added that the investigation was ongoing.
Cotabato City, Bangsamoro’s regional center, has been placed under control of the Commission of Elections over incidents of violence. – with reports from Iya Gozum and John Sitchon/Rappler.com
