BARMM poll to push through – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the attack on a top BARMM official, the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will push through on Sept. 14, Malacañang said yesterday.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has described the ambush of BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua as an isolated incident and maintained that the scheduled elections should proceed without delay.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte would not be placed under the poll body’s control, even if the attack is viewed as election-related.

“At this point, we don’t intend to place the area under Comelec control. Everything is peaceful in the whole Bangsamoro and that one incident should not affect the categorization as well as our decision on what should be placed under Comelec control or not,” Garcia said.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said at a media briefing yesterday that the attack would not derail efforts to establish a democratic government in the region.

Macacua and his companions survived the ambush of his convoy of three vehicles along the national highway in Barangay Bitu on Aug. 15.

The Philippine National Police intensified its security preparations for the BARMM poll, with PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordering police commanders to strengthen intelligence gathering in the region and to adjust troop deployments in real time, based on the security situation.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that a roadside explosion that preceded the ambush was part of the attack.

BARMM police spokesperson Capt. Steffi Salanguit said the explosion occurred shortly before the gunfire.

She added that investigators recovered an unexploded 81-mm ordnance near the ambush point yesterday.

“We in the PNP, along with our partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Comelec, would continue to assess the security situation and conduct necessary adjustments to ensure that the incident does not disrupt the electoral process,” Nartatez said.

The PNP has deployed 9,400 police officers, including augmentation forces from other units to secure the election. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Rhodina Villanueva, John Unson