The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing to file electoral sabotage charges after discovering 16,563 pre-shaded ballots across 36 polling precincts in Maluso, Basilan, during the September 14, 2026 elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's first-ever Parliament, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said, according to Sunstar and the Bilyonaryo News Channel. The discovery prompted Comelec to place Maluso under its direct control and rush replacement ballots from Manila to keep voting on schedule.
Comelec preserved 36 boxes of the tampered ballots as evidence, according to Bilyonaryo. Garcia said the National Printing Office was authorized to reprint replacement ballots immediately and fly them to Zamboanga City for transport into Basilan, telling reporters, as translated from Filipino: "We have an existing protocol for such a scenario. It is good that it was immediately reported to us," according to Sunstar. Election officials were instructed to inform electoral boards and voters of the resulting delays, with polling hours extended in the affected precincts.
Garcia said the poll body was waiting for the Commission en banc to reconvene in Manila before issuing formal orders. "Hinihintay lang makabalik ang Commission En Banc sa Maynila, at kaagad kami mag-i-issue ng mga kaukulang mga order, directive, upang magsimula na tayo sa pagpapanagot dito" — "We're just waiting for the Commission En Banc to return to Manila, and we will immediately issue the corresponding orders and directives so we can begin holding those responsible to account" — he said, according to Bilyonaryo.
Garcia said the tampering could constitute electoral sabotage, a non-bailable special offense applicable when ballot tampering affects more than 10,000 votes, carrying penalties of life imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from public office, Bilyonaryo reported. A lesser election offense under the Omnibus Election Code carries one to six years' imprisonment, disqualification from holding office, and loss of voting rights. Comelec said it was coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to identify those responsible and pledged that cases would be filed "regardless of position."
As of this report, no candidate or party had been named in connection with the Maluso ballots, and no one has publicly responded to the allegations. Comelec said it still expected candidate proclamations to proceed on schedule despite the disruption, with 98.41% of the region's 5,212 precincts having transmitted results and turnout estimated at roughly 81% of the 2.393 million registered voters, according to Bilyonaryo. Election watchdogs Namfrel and Lente separately flagged other ballot violations and vote-buying concerns during the polls, Rappler reported, though the groups' full findings had not yet been made public as of this report.
Context
The Maluso incident marks the first concrete fraud-enforcement action tied to the landmark September 14 BARMM parliamentary elections, which capped 15 years of appointed regional rule and four postponements dating back to a vote originally scheduled for May 2022. Pulpulitiko reported that the same election was also marred by violence, with police confirming three deaths in shooting incidents in Cotabato City. Comelec had earlier placed both Cotabato City and Maluso under its direct administrative control ahead of polling day, citing security and integrity concerns in the two areas.
Sources
- "Maluso ballots may lead to Barmm electoral sabotage case" — SunStar
- "Comelec eyes electoral sabotage raps over 16K pre-shaded BARMM ballots" — Bilyonaryo News Channel
- "Comelec eyes electoral sabotage case vs BARMM candidate over pre-shaded ballots" — Daily Tribune
- "Pre-shaded ballots found in 36 voting precincts in Basilan town" — Rappler
- "Watchdogs flag ballot violations, vote-buying as BARMM polls near end" — Rappler
- "Comelec expects BARMM proclamations on time despite disruptions" — The Manila Times
