Voting delayed in Al-Barka, Basilan

Vehicles outside the Al-Barka town hall await being loaded with election paraphernalia on Sept.14, 2026. AL-BARKA, Basilan – Election materials for the landmark Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections failed to leave the municipal hall of Al-Barka, Basilan, on Monday morning after armed men reportedly took positions on the roads leading to the villages where they were to be delivered.

The security threat effectively stalled the distribution of crucial election paraphernalia intended for 31 clustered precincts serving 14,267 registered voters across all 16 barangays in the municipality, with nine designated voting centers.

There were reports that armed individuals positioned themselves along key transport routes.

READ: Voting in Cotabato City school did not start at 8 a.m.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Philippine National Police have yet to clarify whether voting in Al-Barka will be declared a failure or if an emergency military escort will be deployed to resume distribution later in the day.

Military tanks were already present near the municipal hall./coa