Watchdog says BARMM crime statistics mask election violence (2025)

An ambush in Maguindanao del Sur is the latest in a string of shootings in the BARMM, a surge that Climate Conflict Action Asia says is being glossed over by official figures

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Muhammad “Baba” Omar, a candidate for the provincial board in Maguindanao del Sur, and his driver were clinging to life when their bullet-riddled vehicle finally stopped at a police checkpoint on the edge of Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao del Norte.

Minutes earlier, gunmen had ambushed them in a remote village in neighboring Maguindanao del Sur, a familiar scene in an area where gunfire has become routine.

The attack was the latest in a string of shootings in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a surge that watchdog Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) said was being glossed over by official figures.

Police statistics show crime is down nationwide, with authorities citing an 18.4% drop from January to March. In BARMM, a marginal 0.69% increase was reported. But CCAA called the figures misleading.

“Police data is misleading and downplays the alarming situation on the ground as shooting incidents are increasing despite the ongoing election gun ban.”

Omar’s SUV – hit by at least 50 bullets – managed to travel another kilometer before stopping at the checkpoint. Behind the wheel was 31-year-old Abel Buisan, badly wounded. Omar, 49, was conscious but bleeding in the passenger seat.

Lieutenant Colonel Joppy Ventura, spokesperson for the BARMM police, said the ambush took place in Barangay Brar, Datu Anggal Midtimbang. The suspects fled toward Talayan, police said, and an investigation is ongoing.

In a recent interview on Aksyon Alerto, CCAA’s radio program on DXMS Radyo Bida, Ventura reported 162 shooting incidents in BARMM from January to April, with 55 in Maguindanao del Sur. The victims included election officers, government employees, women, and indigenous peoples.

Despite the gun ban, the killings continue.

“This 70-day statistic is a moving average and should not discount the general increase that was recorded in 2024 which saw a 20% increase of violent incidents in the Bangsamoro compared to 2023,” read a CCAA statement on Monday, April 14. “From January to March 2025, at least 240 violent incidents have already been recorded.”

The group also warned that the BARMM’s stockpile of unregistered firearms is fueling the bloodshed.

The continued spread of unregistered firearms is fueling violence in BARMM, according to watchdog group.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division reported seizing 1,031 loose firearms from July 2024 to April 2025, but CCAA said these represent only a fraction of the estimated 27,000 weapons still in circulation, based on 2024 police figures.

CCAA also said the absence of a comprehensive monitoring system and lack of a clear strategy to dismantle illicit firearms networks leave the region vulnerable to more violence ahead of next month’s elections. – with reports from Herbie Gomez/Rappler.com