Independent coalition deploys ground monitors and a dedicated digital monitoring operation ahead of the September 14 vote for the region's first-ever Bangsamoro Parliament

COTABATO CITY — When over two million registered voters across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) go to the polls on September 14, they will do something no BARMM electorate has ever done before: elect their own Parliament.

It is the culmination of a peace process decades in the making. The Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC-BARMM) is deploying teams both on the ground and online to help ensure that the vote is credible, peaceful, and free of manipulation.

The historic 80-seat Parliament, a mix of party, district, and sectoral representatives, will be elected across 105 municipalities and two cities, marking a major step in the transition of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region toward an elected regional government. For a region where past elections have been shadowed by clan rivalries, armed-group activity, and contested political transitions, a credible and peaceful vote carries weight well beyond the ballot count. It is a test of whether the peace process itself can deliver on its promise of self-governance.

"This election is not just a procedural exercise. It is the region proving, to itself and to the country, that the peace process works," said Sheila Algabre, operations director of IEMC.

Boots on the Ground

IEMC-BARMM's physical monitors will be stationed in communities across the region, with particular attention to areas facing heightened electoral and conflict-related risks.

These ground teams will observe polling and canvassing directly and document election-related incidents and irregularities as they occur. Their presence is intended to provide an independent, on-the-ground perspective in communities where tensions and other electoral risks may be heightened.

Hands on the Keyboard

Alongside its ground teams, IEMC-BARMM is also establishing a dedicated digital monitoring operation to observe election-related developments online.

The operation will track potential threats to election integrity, including disinformation, vote-buying, incitement to violence, misleading election information, and manipulated or synthetic media.

Online monitoring is particularly important during an election in which information can spread rapidly and shape public perceptions before events on the ground are fully established. IEMC-BARMM will assess flagged content carefully and distinguish between verified information, credible allegations, and unverified claims before taking or recommending further action.

Protecting election integrity requires attention not only to what happens at polling places, but also to what voters see and share online.

A Coalition Built for the Task

IEMC-BARMM is a collaborative effort uniting organizations with deep roots in governance and democratic process work across the region: the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Notre Dame University (NDU), the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation (NDBC), the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) Cotabato City, Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), the Coalition for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT), and Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC).

Together, they bring local knowledge, institutional credibility, and technical capacity to an election that presents challenges no single organization could address alone.

What's at Stake

BARMM's electoral landscape presents challenges that go beyond the ordinary: election-related violence, vote-buying, ballot fraud, voter suppression, and the logistical complexity of conducting a first-ever parliamentary poll across a geographically dispersed and, in places, conflict-affected region.

Layered on top of these long-standing risks are newer challenges, including synthetic media, deepfakes, manipulated polling content, and targeted disinformation. In a region where electoral competition intersects with the fragile gains of the peace process, such developments can have consequences that extend beyond individual candidates or campaigns.

For IEMC-BARMM, monitoring these risks is about protecting the credibility of the electoral process and helping ensure that voters can make their choices free from intimidation, manipulation, and misinformation.

The center is committed to working alongside the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and other government agencies that carry formal authority over the conduct of the elections, as well as with civil society organizations and the media.

IEMC-BARMM is formally recognized and accredited by the COMELEC.