CAMP SALIPADA PENDATUN, Parang, Maguindanao del Norte (MindaNews / 15 July 2026) — As far as election and security officials are concerned, the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections scheduled for September 14, 2026 are a “go.”
“As [COMELEC] Chairman George Garcia said, there is no turning back. We will proceed with the elections,” Atty. Ray Sumalipao, regional director of the Commission on Elections – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (COMELEC-BARMM), said during sendoff ceremonies in this camp for police personnel who will serve in the elections.
He said that while there were petitions filed at the Supreme Court to block the elections, the high court’s decision not to issue a temporary restraining order serves as a green light to proceed.
Sumalipao said that to guarantee that voting proceeds smoothly even in the face of local emergencies or should teachers refuse to serve due to security fears, COMELEC has set up 1,208 contingency special electoral boards ready for immediate deployment.
During the joint security meeting with COMELEC, the Police Regional Office – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) has mapped out 93 areas of concern across the region, based on security incidents during the last two elections (2022 and 2025), alongside the verified presence of active armed groups.
Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia, PRO-BAR regional director, said that police commands in neighboring regions — Regions IX, X, XI, and XII — are each sending 500 police officers to help out in the elections, providing a combined force of 2,000 personnel. He added that 1,300 troops from the PNP Special Action Force, the Maritime Group, and the Highway Patrol Group will also be deployed to BARMM.
In total, approximately 8,300 PNP troops will be deployed across the region on election day, Abecia said. Yet more troops from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will be added to help secure the parliamentary elections, he added.
Abecia said that of the 93 areas of concerns, 10 have been classified under the “Red Category” (areas of immediate concern), with the province of Lanao del Sur holding the highest number of high-risk localities.
“Our main focus is on lawless elements who might be utilized to disrupt the upcoming elections” he said.
Abecia noted that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front have been cooperative in maintaining the peace, he stressed that the police are prepared for any security disruptions in case there will be clashes involving armed men with links to the former rebel groups.
“Separate committees and councils continue to oversee the broader regional peace process and localized in-fighting,” he said. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
