MARAWI CITY — The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said it will mobilize volunteer lawyers to help voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) better understand their rights during the first parliamentary elections on September 14.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to support voter education and information campaigns, legal aid clinics, public forums, training activities, and other programs aimed at increasing voter awareness.
Lawyer Allan Panolong, IBP national president, said they will also assist those who wish to report vote-buying, vote-selling, and the misuse of government resources during the election period.
“The IBP will guide complainants and witnesses through the proper legal process, and legal assistance desks will be established across the BARMM provinces. These are essential, and access to legal assistance should not be difficult or out of reach,” he added.
READ: Campaign for historic BARMM polls kicks off
Lawyer AL-Rashid Balt, first nominee of the Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation (BEST) party, said the agreement between the IBP and the Comelec is a major step forward in helping minimize electoral fraud during the elections.
“That is a very welcome development. If there are volunteers like that who are willing to help, it will provide voters with greater access to free legal services from the IBP and can minimize electoral fraud,” Balt said.
Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia expressed hope that voter turnout would be high in the first-ever BARMM parliamentary elections to ensure that the government’s extensive preparations for the historic polls would not go to waste.
“Our elections here have been reset several times and failed to push through. If only a few people vote this time, it would be a missed opportunity. That is why this is a challenge for everyone present here today,” he said.
“This is not only about expanding our knowledge and sharing information that our fellow citizens need to know, but also about encouraging them to understand the importance of this election and why they should cast their votes on September 14,” he added.
Garcia said that as of July 30, the Regional Joint Security Control Center reported that 21 municipalities in Lanao del Sur were identified as ‘red areas,’ where the potential for violence is high, including Bayang, Butig, Marantao, and Taraka.
Also identified as red areas are three municipalities in Maguindanao del Sur, including Pandag, Shariff Aguak, and Shariff Saydona Mustapha; one in Basilan (Al-Barka); one in Maguindanao del Norte (Datu Odin Sinsuat); and one in the Special Geographic Area, the town of Tugunan.
Garcia said these areas are considered in the red category because of their past records of election-related incidents rather than active and current threats.
READ: Marcos vows first BARMM elections will push through in September
Marawi City Vice Mayor Majul Gandamra said that credible elections are not the responsibility of the Comelec alone but a shared burden that demands institutions willing to cooperate proactively rather than react only after challenges arise.
“For those of us in the local government, our responsibility is defined—the local government does not choose winners. It protects the environment where the people are free to choose their own leaders,” Gandamra said.
He added that the duty of the local government unit is to ensure that essential services continue without partisan color.
“That public resources are used correctly, coordination between agencies remains seamless, and peace and order is maintained in every barangay throughout this critical period,” Gandamra said. /mcm
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