September 15, 2026, Cotabato City – LENTE assesses elections beyond simply considering the number of voting centers opened, the number of ballots cast, and the percentage of the results transmitted; far from ticking these bureaucratic checkboxes, it is vital to ask whether the public has confidence in the process and, later on, the result. This confidence is measured through the voter’s perception and experience of whether elections were safe, accountable, transparent, and inclusive. 

LENTE’s monitoring–through its 313 trained grassroots monitors, 10 supervising lawyers, and area coordinators in 209 voting centers across all BARMM provinces–indicates that there were gaps in the following: 

Safety and Transparency because the measure of safe elections should go beyond the number of incidents or casualties; it should also consider the effect on the behavior of voters and stakeholders. While reported incidents of violence were present only in limited areas, the spread of videos and reports of gunfire, bombing, and riots impressed upon the public an unsafe election. 

The response of COMELEC to these incidents of violence and public disorder in Cotabato City, alongside the AFP and PNP as deputized by the Commission, fell short of what the situation required. The failure to swiftly identify and report accountable perpetrators, steps taken, and preventive measures left the public guessing as to whether it was safe for people to participate in the elections. The occurrence of these violent incidents in Cotabato City, the capital of the region where state resources, including the operational headquarters of all relevant government agencies, are most concentrated, may have created a chilling effect on stakeholders across the region. This concern is also amplified by the fact that preshaded ballots were found at the start of the elections, and while this issue was properly handled, the skepticism of preshaded ballots and controlled voting only persisted throughout the day. The reports of LENTE monitors being obstructed or prevented from fully observing the process did not help the situation either. 

Accountability and Inclusiveness because the lack of accountability and responsiveness on the matter of safety also extends towards voters’ experience in the casting of their votes.  A meaningful share of voters did not control their own ballot from start to finish; roughly a quarter of monitoring reports recorded that the voters did not personally feed their own ballot, most often fed instead by an Electoral Board member. About a third of reports recorded some form of voter assistance, and in roughly 1 in 5 of those cases the assistance came from a watcher, who is barred from that role under any circumstance. This experience, which was supposed to make the elections more inclusive and accessible, was exploited to make the voters vulnerable to interference. 

Every monitoring effort of LENTE is done purposively and directed toward electoral reforms. The aim of LENTE’s monitoring findings is not merely to point out gaps but to use these data for policy recommendations that can be implemented to increase public confidence in the electoral process.  

In the short-term, we call on the Commission on Elections and the law enforcement agencies to investigate the abovementioned accountability and safety issues and to be transparent in the results of the investigations. We invite the COMELEC and the newly-elected Bangsamoro Parliament to consider reforms regarding the rule on assistors, piloting the use of CCTVs in future elections starting with voting centers showing indicators of controlled voting, and to implement the lower voter ratio for ACMs nationwide for the National and Local Elections in 2028. 

In the medium-term, we emphasize the urgent need for both the Congress and the Bangsamoro Parliament to pass substantive electoral reforms. Key legislative priorities should include enhancing the independence of COMELEC by providing office space for COMELEC field offices separate from the LGU, and passing the Electoral Accessibility Bill – reforms which LENTE has lobbied for since the 17th Congress. The full list of legislative reform recommendations will be included in LENTE’s final report on the 1st BARMM Parliamentary Elections covering our long-term observation, social media monitoring, and election day monitoring. 

Looking ahead, LENTE remains committed to working alongside the newly-elected Bangsamoro Parliament to sustain and expand the Parliamentary Monitoring program, building upon the foundational work we started with the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.  

To the Bangsamoro people, LENTE congratulates you on taking the next step towards the autonomy and peace you have long fought and sacrificed for. We thank you and all stakeholders for welcoming LENTE in BARMM. 

Habang-buhay kami sayo’y magbabantay.

Pagpalain Bangsamoro!

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