COTABATO CITY — Four people, including a police officer, were wounded in a shooting inside the Cotabato City Central Pilot Elementary School along Sinsuat Avenue in Poblacion 6 early Monday morning, September 14, as voting got underway for the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Election.
The incident was reported at around 6:45 a.m., triggering an immediate security response inside and around the school, which was being used as a polling center for the historic regional elections.
According to initial police information, one of those wounded was a member of the PNP Regional Mobile Force Battalion 13, who sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.
Three other individuals were also reportedly hit by gunfire. Their identities, affiliations and the circumstances that brought them inside the school had not yet been fully established by authorities as of the initial reports.
Police said an unidentified armed individual or individuals fired several shots inside the school premises, causing panic and prompting authorities to immediately secure the area.
Members of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) were deployed and the school was placed under security control. Voters and election watchers were reportedly evacuated from the polling center while authorities conducted a clearing operation to determine whether there were remaining threats inside the premises.
The wounded were rushed to the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center for medical treatment.
Authorities have also launched pursuit and interdiction operations to identify and apprehend those responsible for the shooting. Intelligence validation and further investigation are underway to establish the sequence of events, the identities of those involved and the motive behind the attack.
Allegation Against Barangay Captain Still Under Verification
A video circulating online also shows a wounded man lying on the ground inside the school. In the recording, a companion can be heard repeatedly alleging that the victim was shot by Barangay Captain Bimbo Ayunan.
The allegation has not been independently verified, and authorities had yet to publicly confirm whether Ayunan was involved in the shooting at the time of the initial reports.
The Mindanao Sentinel is withholding judgment on the allegation pending official confirmation, investigation and corroborating evidence.
Shooting Disrupts First BARMM Parliamentary Election
The incident occurred at a particularly sensitive moment, with voters in the Bangsamoro region casting ballots for the first time in the parliamentary election that will determine the composition of the BARMM Parliament.
The shooting temporarily disrupted activity at the polling center as security personnel cleared the area and moved voters and watchers to safety.
The incident also underscored the heightened security challenges confronting authorities during the region’s first parliamentary election, particularly in areas where election-related tensions and violence have prompted intensified deployment of police, military and other security forces.
Authorities have yet to announce when normal voting operations at the affected polling center would fully resume, subject to the completion of the security clearing and assessment.
As of the latest preliminary information, four people had been reported wounded, including one police officer. The identities of the three other victims, their affiliations and the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
The motive for the attack remains unknown.
Police are expected to release additional information as the investigation, pursuit operations and intelligence validation continue.