Three people have been killed and at least 15 others injured in a shooting incident in Cotabato City, Philippines, according to local reports. The violence occurred on the eve of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.
Local media outlet GMA reported that a shootout broke out between rival political supporters outside a school. Initial information shared by the Cotabato City Police Office said the incident occurred around 11.41pm between several armed men in front of Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School.
Footage shows emergency response
Footage from the scene showed the flashing lights of an ambulance as heavily armed officials stood nearby. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Voters in the autonomous southern Philippine region will cast their ballots Monday in the region's first parliamentary elections. The election is seen as a crucial step in the quest for self-determination and lasting peace after decades of insurgency and violence.
Background of the BARMM region
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao covers five provinces, three cities and 63 villages across eight special geographic area clusters. It has nearly 2.4 million voters, with election officials aiming for an 80% turnout after polling was postponed for several years.
Centuries of colonialism by Spain, the US and Filipino Christian settlers turned Muslims into a minority group in resource-rich Mindanao, the southern third of the Philippine archipelago from which the BARMM was carved out. The region has seen decades of intermittent but bloody conflicts over land, resources and political power.
