Voting starts in Philippines’ in Mindano

Voting began on Monday in the Philippines’ Muslim-majority south under heightened security after three people were killed and 15 wounded in violence on the eve of the historic election.
The vote is seen as a crucial test of efforts seeking to bring lasting peace and development to a region once torn by separatist conflict and extremism which peaked in the 2017 siege of Marawi City by Islamic State-linked militants.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) placed Cotabato City under its control after the violence on Sunday, when an argument at a polling station erupted in gunfire, according to local reports.