The Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) has monitored a total of 219 deaths in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) alone since the start of the filing of the certificate of candidacy in October 2024 for the midterm elections on Monday, May 12.

In a statement, the CCAA said the figure already indicated the real security picture on the ground that threatens the government’s goal of holding a peaceful and credible elections in the region.

“With conflict events multiplying in recent weeks, the risk of a far worse cycle of violence on election day is no longer speculative. It is imminent,” the CCAA said in a statement.

Almost all of the deaths were gun-related, and the CCAA said this put into question the efficiency of the gun ban implementation in the region. 

In February this year, CCAA executive director Francisco Lara, Jr. called for the strict enforcement of the gun ban in BARMM, saying they have been monitoring an uptrend in election-related violence that involve clans and armed groups supporting political personalities.

He explained that despite the strict orders to implement the gun ban, there are armed groups that are openly carrying firearms and in fact, some of them were even released when they were intercepted by the local police.

In raising election security concerns in BARMM, the CCAA said the increase in violence in the region is caused by what it described as three converging threats— the porous and puny implementation of the gun ban, the return of unauthorized checkpoints and voting blockades, and an increasingly aggressive climate filled with voter intimidation and political bullying.

Poll monitoring

The Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier reported around 40 validated election-related incidents for the May 12 elections but based on the CCAA figures, the tally is higher in BARMM alone.

In order to give the public a clear picture of the situation on the ground, the CCAA launched its election-monitoring platform, which it said, will fill the information gap and captures the dynamics of violence and conflict surrounding the 2025 midterm and

parliamentary elections.

Dubbed as Boto Bangsamoro, the platform vowed to provide real-time, reliable, and accessible conflict information to media partners and policy stakeholders. 

Through the Boto Bangsamoro, the CCAA said it will also provide a “moving picture” and thematic analysis of conflict patterns, violent strings, and actor behavior, accompanied by a detailed listing of incidents by municipality. 

“On election day, Boto Bangsamoro will release reports every three hours (9 AM to 9 PM) to inform media, and humanitarian responders, and governance actors of emerging hotspots and security concerns,” it said.

Voting blockades

Meanwhile, the CCAA urged authorities to look into illegal and violent actions that may deny a number of people in the region to exercise their right to suffrage.

Currently, it said there are visible signs of actions that deny the right of suffrage and promote unfair election practices similar to what happened in the past elections.

In the barangay polls two years ago, the CCAA said it monitored unauthorized checkpoints erected by non-state armed groups blocked voters from reaching

polling precincts and obstructed the transport of ballot boxes. 

“Unauthorized checkpoints manned by armed groups, some adjacent to

municipal offices and police stations continue to operate,” the group said.

“The presence of unauthorized checkpoints without punitive sanctions is often cited to accuse the government of collusion in creating an uneven playing field that favors one candidate against another, tarnishing the credibility of poll results and the Comelec,” it added.