Voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao began casting ballots in the area's first-ever parliamentary election, more than a decade after a peace deal with separatists ended four decades of conflict. At least three people were killed and 15 others wounded in a shootout in front of a polling center in Cotabato City, Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia told reporters. The 2014 accord with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels mostly ended a conflict in which tens of thousands died.

Around 2.4 million people are eligible to vote for 80 parliamentary seats contested by over 600 candidates. The current parliamentarians were appointed by the Philippine president as transitional leaders, with some including the chief minister vying for seats. The election was originally set for 2022 but pushed back by then-President Rodrigo Duterte to 2025, then postponed again by Marcos to September.

A peaceful transfer would bolster confidence in Bangsamoro, where the agriculture-driven economy grew 5% to 267 billion pesos in 2025. Yet more than a third of cities and towns posted poverty rates exceeding 40%, far above the national average.