BSKE 2023 violence in BARMM kills 3, injures 8

At least three persons were killed and several others were hurt in violence related to the barangay and sangguniang kabataan elections (BSKE 2023) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In an interview on Dobol B TV, BAR regional police chief Police Brigadier General Allan Cruz Nobleza said three people died due to the shooting incidents, four were injured due to the mauling, and another four were hurt because of a disturbance.

Nobleza said two persons were killed in the shooting incident that happened in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte. He said four suspects had been identified.

He said there was another shooting incident in Maguindanao del Sur in which a still unidentified person was killed.

In Butig, Lanao del Sur, a candidate for barangay chairperson was shot.

In Tuburan, Basilan, six people were wounded including a barangay chairman candidate. Suspects have been identified.

Nobleza said there were also incidents of commotion that resulted in the injury of some supporters of candidates.

Meanwhile, in Cotabato City, at least twelve teachers backed out of serving as members of the electoral board due to fear after a shooting incident killed three people including two poll candidates in the area.

According to a report by Abby Caballero of GMA Regional TV One Mindanao on GTV "Balita Ko," Central Elementary School in Barangay Rosary Heights 12 is one of the 33 voting centers in the area.

The school was close to the crime scene, which made the teachers back out in serving as electoral board members . They were replaced by the police.

There are two thousand registered voters in the area.

To ensure security during the BSKE 2023, 8,000 police were deployed throughout the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Monday. 

For the Commission on Elections, the conduct of the BSKE 2023 was generally peaceful and "a victory of sorts."

“When you say generally peaceful, when you say incidents, we have to factor the number of voters involved. We have 92 million registered voters. Of this number, how many are affected?" Comelec chairman  George Garcia said at a news conference.

"We have 202,000 precincts. Even if there were disruptions in 2,000 precincts, we would still have 200,000 precincts where voting proceeded as expected. There was only a small percentage where disruption occurred. To us, it is a victory of sorts,” he added.

Garcia said no election had ever been perfect.

"What is important is perpetrators are punished.  Hindi puwedeng paligtasin,” Garcia said. (They cannot be spared from being held accountable.)—Joviland Rita, Sherylin Untalan, and Llanesca Panti/NB, GMA Integrated News

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