THE United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) has urged the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the recent violent incidents that occurred during the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) parliamentary elections.
In a letter addressed to NBI Director Melvin Matibag, the UBJP said there was a need to investigate the incidents that took place hours before the elections and while the polls were ongoing on Monday, September 14, 2026.
“While the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election was generally successful, we cannot overlook the lives that were lost and the people who were wounded during the election period,” the letter read.
“We are deeply saddened that some UBJP supporters were among the victims. We hope that these incidents will be properly investigated and that the victims and their families will get the justice they deserve,” it added.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recorded 14 violent incidents related to the parliamentary polls.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said four individuals died while 19 others were injured in the different incidents.
Three of the deaths and 15 of the injuries resulted from a shooting involving supporters of political rivals at Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School in Barangay Bagua 2, Cotabato City.
One person also died while three others, including a police officer, were wounded in a violent incident at the Pilot Central Elementary School in Cotabato City.
On the evening of September 13, a man allegedly carrying an improvised explosive device (IED) was severely injured after the device exploded in the vicinity of Amirul School in Barangay Kapimpilan, Mother Kalanganan, Cotabato City.
The PNP earlier said a probe was underway to determine the circumstances that led to the incidents and identify those liable. / TPM