COTABATO CITY – The gun ban and election period begin today, August 14, for the historic first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections, marking the start of a 76-day period that runs until October 28, 2025.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) says security forces from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine Coast Guard are already manning checkpoints across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to enforce the ban on the bearing, carrying, or transporting of firearms and other deadly weapons, unless authorized in writing by the poll body.
“All firearms licenses and permits to carry are suspended for the entire election period,” COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia says, warning that violators face election offense charges punishable by one to six years in prison. Also prohibited are the unauthorized use of security or bodyguards by candidates, the formation of strike or reaction forces, the alteration of precinct boundaries, and the suspension of elective local officials.
Garcia assures that the checkpoints do not disrupt residents’ daily activities. At present, COMELEC has not identified any election hotspot areas in the region and is allowing local security forces to operate without additional troop deployment. Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao del Norte and Buluan in Maguindanao del Sur are also removed from COMELEC control starting today.
In preparation for the October 13 polls, COMELEC is set to train about 1,000 Philippine Coast Guard personnel next week to assist over 9,000 Board of Electoral Inspectors, as the Philippine National Police focuses on maintaining security.
Meanwhile, the poll body is meeting with seven political parties, election watchdogs PPCRV, NAMFREL, LENTE, and other stakeholders to discuss the controversial “none of the above” option on the BARMM ballot, particularly the scenario where it garners more than 50 percent of the vote.
While COMELEC enforces the gun ban, many are watching closely to see if it will be more effective than in past elections, when similar measures failed to completely prevent gun-related violence in the region.