BARMM poll COC filing smooth, orderly

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May 8, 2026 | 12:00am

COTABATO CITY , Philippines  – No untoward incident has been recorded during the three-day filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Officials of the Commission on Elections in the BARMM and at the Comelec office in Cotabato on Tuesday started processing COCs of aspirants for the 80-seat parliament.

Police and members of the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) provided security during the COC filing, which ended yesterday.

Candidates of the four major BARMM partisan blocs – Bangsamoro Federalist Party, Bangsamoro Party of the Moro National Liberation Front, United Bangsamoro Justice Party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Serbisyong Inklusibo Alyansang Progresibo – have all filed their COCs at the Comelec’s regional and provincial offices.

Naguib Sinarimbo of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party said that all candidates were expected to have complied with the Comelec’s documentary requisites.

Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Minister Muslimin Sema said the filing of COCs went smoothly.

Among candidates who filed their COCs on the last day were Sinarimbo and two members of the parliament.

Comelec-BARMM chief Ray Sumalipao thanked the Bangsamoro police and  the Westmincom for securing the COC filing.

The BARMM parliamentary election will be conducted on Sept. 14.