Philippines' Comelec vows fair and accurate BARMM elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Philippines has pledged to conduct accurate and fair parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on September 14. This commitment was formalized during the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Agreement for a random manual audit (RMA) for the upcoming polls.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia reiterated the critical role of random manual audits, mandated by Republic Act 9369, in verifying the accuracy of vote counting machines (VCMs) within the automated election system (AES). "Let us work together to prevent, or at least minimize, all those irregularities, especially in this historic first-ever Bangsamoro election," Garcia stated, highlighting the goal of ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.

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Pagtulong-tulungan natin na mapigilan, at least dito sa kauna-unahang Bangsamoro election, historic kauna-unahan na mawala ang lahat ng mga irregularidad na yan kung hindi man ito ma-minimize man lang.

Garcia noted that the accuracy rate for the May 2025 midterm election reached 99.99997 percent, the highest recorded by the commission. For the historic BARMM election, approximately 2.3 million voters are expected to elect 80 members of parliament. Addressing concerns about pre-shaded ballots, Garcia stressed the need for heightened security measures and vigilant monitoring throughout the AES process.

Emphasis was placed on the final testing and sealing of the voting machines, as well as meticulous supervision during the distribution and opening of ballot boxes at precincts. "At the same time, when distributing to teachers, we should also monitor that. At the same time, we also emphasize the importance of the final testing and sealing," Garcia added, underscoring the comprehensive approach to safeguarding the election's credibility.

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At the same time pag dinidistribute sa mga guro dapat sinusubaybayan din natin. At the same time, ang lagi naming in-emphasize na importante pa, ang final testing and sealing.