Three shot dead, 15 wounded ahead of polls in Philippine Muslim enclave

Cotabato, Philippines - Three individuals were fatally shot and 15 more were wounded as gunshots rang out just before the polls were set to open on Monday in a semi-autonomous Muslim region of the Philippines, where citizens were to elect their first parliament. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will choose its representatives following an on-again, off-again peace process that began in the late 1990s and established the BARMM in the far south of the country.

According to Cotabato police chief Jibin Bongcayao, the gunfire erupted outside a school being used as a polling station in the regional capital during the final hours before midnight. The incident began as a dispute over queue positions between two rival political factions and quickly escalated into a physical altercation, culminating in gunfire breaking out in a densely populated area.

Both men involved in the shooting belonged to rival parties that emerged from a group which had been engaged in fighting for regional autonomy in the predominantly Catholic country for decades. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been one of these factions. Although the BARMM has long been plagued by political violence and family feuds, a peaceful election is considered a success.

Recently, security has been significantly increased across the BARMM, with over 20,000 security personnel deployed in voting areas and rapid response teams in place to handle any potential violence. Earlier this month, a motorcade carrying the interim chief minister of the region, a figure appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos, was ambushed and shot at.

Additionally, a man died in a hospital early Monday following an explosion near another polling station, though the cause of this incident remains under investigation.