3 killed as political rivals open fire outside a school, Philippines

Three people were killed and 15 others wounded in a shootout in front of a polling center in Barangay Bagua 2 late Sunday night, just hours before the historic Sept. 14, 2026 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The incident took place in front of Datu Usman Mampen Elementary School shortly before midnight, according to Capt. Steffi Salanguit, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR). Police said two groups of men—supporters of rival political parties—gathered near the school when an altercation escalated into gunfire. The identities of the fatalities and the wounded remained unknown in initial reports.

Earlier Sunday evening, two explosions rocked Cotabato City. At around 8 p.m., an improvised explosive device prematurely detonated near a school in Barangay Mother Kalanganan, critically wounding Zainudin Macabuat, who police said was carrying the device. A second blast occurred at 9 p.m. in Barangay Rosary Heights 10; no one was injured. Authorities also reported a separate strafing incident in the same village at about 5 p.m. that caused no casualties.

Police were conducting a post-incident investigation at the school site Monday morning as the BPE got underway. The elections mark a key milestone for the BARMM’s parliamentary system.