Defense chief Teodoro orders tight security for BARMM elections

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro personally directed military officials in Central Mindanao to assist the Commission on Elections in ensuring a safe and credible Bangsamoro parliamentary election next month.

Teodoro, alongside officials from the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Navy’s 1st Marine Brigade, met on Saturday, September 6, at Camp Siongco in Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, to discuss security preparations for the first-ever Oct. 13, 2025 parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The 6th Infantry Division has jurisdiction over BARMM’s regional capital, Cotabato City and its two nearby provinces, Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte, where units of the 1st Marine Brigade are deployed.

Teodoro was joined at Camp Siongco, the 6th ID headquarters, by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, Philippine Army Commander Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, Marine Brig. Gen. Romulo Quemado II of the Western Mindanao Command and Maj. Gen. Yegor Rey Barroquillo Jr. of the 1st Infantry Division, which covers the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Maj. Gen. Donald Gumiran, commander of the 6th ID, told reporters on Sunday, September 7, that Teodoro wants all units of the division and the 1st Marine Brigade to properly secure all polling sites in Cotabato City and the neighboring provinces during the October 13 elections.

The core territory of the Bangsamoro region includes Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato.

“Our defense secretary wants us all to remain neutral during the elections. We assured him and his entourage that we have no problem doing that. We strictly adhere to the principle of non-partisanship during election-related missions,” Gumiran said.

Officials of the Philippine Marine Corps deployed in Maguindanao del Norte also confirmed their neutrality for the October 13 elections. The 1st Marine Brigade and its three component battalions, deployed in Barira, Parang, Sultan Mastura, Sultan Kudarat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, and Datu Blah Sinsuat, operate under the supervision of the 6th ID.

Gumiran added that all units have implemented thorough security preparations to ensure a peaceful and honest electoral process in BARMM.