COTABATO CITY — A police officer from the Caraga Region was wounded after unidentified armed men fired successive rounds inside a school being used as a polling center for the 2026 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections early Monday, September 14.
The Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) identified the wounded officer as Patrolman Justeen Reo Ga, who is assigned to the Dinagat Islands Police Provincial Office.
Ga was among the 887 Caraga police personnel deployed to the BARMM to augment security forces and help ensure the safe and orderly conduct of the parliamentary elections.
According to PRO-13, citing a report from the Regional Director of the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), unidentified armed individuals opened fire inside the vicinity of Central Pilot Elementary School along Sinsuat Avenue in Poblacion, Cotabato City.
The gunfire wounded four individuals, including Patrolman Ga. The identities and conditions of the three other wounded individuals had not been disclosed by authorities as of the latest report.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remained under investigation, with authorities yet to establish the identities of the attackers, their motive, or whether the incident was directly connected to the conduct of the BARMM Parliamentary Elections.
Police units in the area immediately launched intensified dragnet and interdiction operations following the shooting in an effort to locate and apprehend those responsible.
Authorities are also conducting a thorough investigation to establish what happened before, during and after the attack and to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Despite sustaining injuries, Patrolman Ga was immediately given appropriate medical attention. PRO-13 said the police officer is currently recuperating and in safe condition.
The shooting came as security forces maintained heightened alert across the BARMM amid the region’s first parliamentary elections, with police and other government security units deployed to protect polling places, voters, election personnel and other stakeholders.
PRO-13 said it remains committed to maintaining peace and order and protecting the public throughout the electoral process.
The regional police office also reiterated its commitment to helping ensure that the 2026 BARMM Parliamentary Elections are conducted in a safe, peaceful and orderly environment, allowing voters to exercise their constitutional right to suffrage without fear or intimidation.
Authorities have yet to announce any arrests in connection with the shooting as of the latest available report.