Comelec puts Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur under its control
Police checkpoint under the supervision of the Commission on Elections in Barangay Zapakan, Rajah Buayan, Maguindanao del Sur is shown here. (File photo from DREMA Q. BRAVO)
MANILA, Philippines — Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur has been placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after an increase in election-related violence in the area.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced this on Tuesday.
He said the declaration is effective after a resolution is released on the same day.
“The Comelec en banc is now placing the Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur under Comelec control,” Garcia told reporters.
READ: Datu Odin Sinsuat now under Comelec control — Garcia
Under Comelec control, the poll body will have full jurisdiction over the area, including its security.
“Base sa report ng PNP [Philippine National Police], AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines], kasama na rin po yung Comelec regional [office], tumataas ang bilang ng insidente ng karahasan dyan sa Buluan, Maguindanao na mako-consider natin na election-related,” Garcia revealed.
(Based on the reports of PNP, AFP and Comelec regional [office], the incidents of violence are increasing in Buluan, Maguindanao that we can consider to be election-related.)
READ: Maguindanao del Sur reelectionist board member survives ambush
Maguindanao del Sur First District Board Member and re-electionist Datu Baba Omar survived an ambush last Sunday by unidentified gunmen. While Omar was not harmed, his driver was injured.
Garcia said this attack contributed to the decision to place the area under the poll body’s control.
Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao del Norte was the first area placed under the same coverage as the Comelec prepares for the 2025 elections.
This action was prompted by the killing of an election officer and her husband there while they were on their way to her office.
Meanwhile, Garcia said Datu Odin Sinsuat will remain under Comelec control until after the elections despite an observed decrease in reported violence in the community.
The poll body is also studying the placement of two more areas under its jurisdiction.
