Inside the Milestone: ULAN Monitors Historic First BARMM Parliamentary Elections

Upholding Life And Nature (ULAN) conducted a comprehensive baseline study on the accessibility of voting centers, including a targeted demographic survey analyzing voter registration and turnout rates among persons with disabilities and other critical accessibility data, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during the first BARMM Parliamentary Elections (BPE) that happened on September 14, 2026.

From September 13 to 16, ULAN deployed field monitoring teams to four locations: Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Cotabato City; Marawi City, Lanao Del Sur; and Lamitan, Basilan, to observe and document whether persons with disabilities were able to safely and efficiently cast their votes; this also allowed ULAN to gather verifiable, on-the-ground data to promote more inclusive electoral frameworks and policies in the future BARMM elections.