COTABATO CITY — Two vehicles allegedly owned by Barangay Chairperson Lily Ayunan were smashed by unidentified men outside Sero Elementary School in Cotabato City on Monday afternoon, September 14, 2026, as the BARMM Parliamentary Elections were being conducted.
The incident took a more serious turn after authorities reportedly recovered long and short firearms from inside one of the damaged vehicles.
Initial information indicated that the two vehicles belonged to Ayunan and that individuals associated with the vehicles were reportedly among supporters of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party. The circumstances surrounding their presence at the polling center, however, remain subject to investigation.
Witnesses said the confrontation erupted after several men allegedly became angry when they were prevented from entering the polling center. Tensions reportedly escalated outside the school before the group turned its anger toward the two parked vehicles.
The vehicles were allegedly repeatedly struck and damaged by the men.
The incident occurred amid heightened tension surrounding the conduct of the BARMM Parliamentary Elections, with security personnel deployed at polling centers across the region.
The recovery of firearms from one of the damaged vehicles adds another significant element to the investigation. Authorities have yet to publicly establish who owned or possessed the firearms, whether the weapons were legally registered, and under what circumstances they were inside the vehicle.
These details remain critical and should be established through the ongoing investigation.
Authorities are also expected to determine the identities of those who allegedly attacked the vehicles, establish what triggered the confrontation, and determine whether any election-related violations or other offenses occurred.
The reported political affiliation of the vehicle occupants or owners should not, by itself, be taken as evidence of wrongdoing. Likewise, the recovery of firearms from a vehicle does not automatically establish who possessed or intended to use the weapons.
Investigators will need to establish the chain of custody and ownership of the firearms, the identities of the occupants of the vehicles, and the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.
Video footage and eyewitness accounts from the area may also help authorities reconstruct the sequence of events.
As of publication, the identities of the men who allegedly damaged the vehicles and the exact motive behind the incident had not been officially established.
Authorities continue to investigate the incident and the reported firearms recovery.