Comelec's Garcia: No BARMM areas under our control, as polls draw near

No areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are under the control of the Commission on Election (Comelec), chairperson George Garcia said Wednesday.

Garcia made the statement amid the ongoing investigation on the recent ambush involving Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua.

"Sa kasalukuyan, wala pa tayong pinag-iisipan na ilagay sa Comelec control na kahit anong lugar sa Bangsamoro," Garcia said.

(Currently, we are not considering placing any area in the Bangsamoro under Comelec control.)

An area may be placed under Comelec control when there is intense political rivalry between or among candidates, political factions, or parties; or the presence of paramilitary forces, private armies, or terrorist groups.

On August 15, Macacua and his entourage escaped unharmed after armed assailants ambushed their convoy in Datu Odin Sinsuat.

Macacua was traveling from his hometown in Barangay Gambar, Mother Kabuntalan, when the incident occurred.

He attended the proclamation rally of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), the party he recently joined and where he was named chairman after previously running as an independent candidate in the province’s 3rd district.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said a report on the ambush against Macacua may be released in one to two weeks as authorities already have leads and suspects.

Voter turnout

Garcia delivered his speech during the Voter's Education and Information Activity and Automated Counting Machine Roadshow in Cotabato City, where he urged voters to cast their votes on September 14.

"Iyan po ang hamon sa bawat isa, lalong-lalong sa kabataan ng Bangsamoro," Garcia said. "Ngayon po, i-vote niyo kung sino ang dikta ng konsensya ng inyong buong pagkatao. Kinakailangan ang boto niyo, masasabi niyo mali man o tama ‘yung inyong napili, iyan ang boto ng isang Moro."

(Everyone, especially the Bangsamoro youth, is challenged to vote whoever their conscience dictates. Whether you consider your choice as right or wrong, you should be able to say that is a vote of a Moro.)

Speaking to the media after the final command conference in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, Garcia said he is hoping for a 65-70% voter turnout in the BARMM polls.

The Commission on Elections conducted its final command conference with concerned agencies in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte on Wednesday.

The conference is part of the government's preparations for conducting a safe and orderly parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro… pic.twitter.com/Q7HNceWx3A

— Celine (@celine_serquina) August 26, 2026

"Ang sinasabi ko nga kahit 65-70% sana ma-achieve natin. Huwag naman baba sa 50% [dahil] parang wala namang ka effort effort ang Comelec at lahat ng stakeholders, kasama ang mga Bangsamoro government," Garcia said.

(I hope we can achieve a 65-70% voter turnout. I hope it's not 50% because it may look like Comelec and other stakeholders, including the Bangsamoro government made an affort.)

There are 2.393 million registered voters in BARMM. —RF, GMA News