MARAWI CITY — The Commission on Election (Comelec) provincial office of Lanao del Sur said the special elections on the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan on Saturday was “peaceful and orderly,” despite the low turnout of voters, and other reported incidents of vote-buying and fist fights.
Lawyer Ray Sumalipao, acting Provincial Election Supervisor in Lanao del Sur, credited the success of the special elections in the city to the presence of the military and police units who were deployed in and out of the polling centers.
The presence of government troops deterred rival camps from getting violent which happened in the past elections where ballot snatching and firefights between civilians are common occurrences.
The Joint Task Force (JTF) Ranao congratulated the security forces, election tellers, servers, observers and the Maranao voting public for the generally successful and peaceful elections despite “few fistfights and misunderstandings,” while also few individuals were arrested by the police for election violations such as vote buying.
“But more importantly, this is the first time in Marawi City that not a single person was killed in relation to the elections,” said Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the JTF Ranao.
The same rules during the regular polls were observed and implemented including the opening of ballots and start of the casting of votes at 7 a.m. and its closing at 3 p.m.
“Pero kung ang botante nasa loob na ng polling place within 30 meters at 3 o’clock, pwede silang ilista sa poll clerk then they will be allowed to vote (If the voter is inside the polling place within 30 meters at 3 o’clock, the clerks can list them, and they will be allowed to vote),” Sumalipao said.
Zia Adiong, Assemblyman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and a resident of Marawi City, commended the Board of Election Tellers (BET), and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, for exerting efforts to “serve and protect the will of the people”.
Chief Supt. Graciano Mijares, director of the Police Regional Office in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the PNP personnel deployed in Marawi for the election were there not only to secure the perimeter but also as back-up for the teachers as BET.
“(I) salute to the teachers, who, despite of the tremendous pressure, were able to perform their duties ensuring that each vote is counted and protected. This is dedication. This is commitment to serve the public. Democracy in Marawi prevails,” Adiong said.
Lower turnout of voters
Sumalipao, however, said the low voters turnout was already expected considering that many of the residents were not able to go back to their homes, especially those who are from the most affected area.
“We all know na lahat ng mga tao (that most of the people who are also voters) of course mga voters natin, ay nag-evacuate (evacuated) because of that siege, though there are some of those who returned already (to their homes) pero talagang may kulang pa rin (but the turnout is not enough),” Sumalipao said.
Based on the last Comelec record before the siege, of the 50,893 registered voters in Marawi City, 60 to 70 percent of the number is the expected turnout.
Hundreds of displaced voters are still presently staying in evacuation centers and tents outside Marawi City. Some are also temporarily staying in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte and nearby areas in Northern Mindanao.
Sumalipao added that one factor of the low turnout of voters is the fact that 50 out of the 96 barangays had unopposed candidates for barangay chairmanship.
“We all know na medyo intense ang labanan sa pagka-barangay chairman, kahit na may mga magkakalaban sa pagka-kagawad. Pero alam natin na mas interesado ang lahat sa pag-boto sa barangay chairman kaya marami na rin ang hindi na pumunta sa mga presinto para bumoto. Isa rin iyon kaya mababa ang turnout of voters natin (We all know that it’s a bit intense when it comes to barangay chairmanship, because there are rivalries among barangay councilors. But we all know that all voters will be voting for a barangay chairman that is why many no longer went to the precincts to vote. That’s one reason why there’s a low voters turnout),” Sumalipao said.
Voters’ stories
Voter Feliza Toylo, 69, had to travel for almost four hours to get to Marawi and cast her vote because she wanted her candidate, a former neighbor in Barnagay Kadingilan, to win.
Toylo said she went home to her province in Misamis Occidental where her family sought refuge in May last year.
She did not go back to Marawi even if the city government and the Task Force Bangon Marawi have already awarded temporary housing units to residents from the most affected area.
Kadingilan is one of the 24 barangays in the most affected area where residents are prioritized in its temporary shelters, which were built by the government.
Like Toylo, Lourdes Sardaňas, 49, have also travelled more than six hours all the way from Pagadian City to vote for the candidate she believes could help in bringing Marawi back on its feet.
Toylo and Sardaňas were tailors working with one employer before the war erupted in Marawi City.
Although they are still earning now in the place where they are living, they still want to go back to Marawi when the situation returns to normalcy.
“My income now is very different when I was in Marawi. I have many clients there,” Sardaňas said.
As soon as he was done casting his votes in his polling precincts, Hadji Rasul Taratingan, 59, a voter of Barangay Tuca Marinaut, went to the other side of the school building to look for his wife’s name on the Precinct Computerized Voters List (PCVL).
He wanted to make sure the name was there before he accompanies his wife to the polling center to cast her vote.
His wife, Zaalica Miondas Pango, is still recuperating from a stroke and has a hard time walking to the voting place.
“Mabagal na siya maglakad, kailangan ko pa alalayan. Hindi na makakayanan ang init kaya kailangan i-confirm ko muna na nandito talaga ang pangalan niya (She’s having difficulty walking, she needs to be escorted. I have to confirm if her name was in the list first before bringing her to the precinct because she could not endure the hot temperature),” Taratingan said.
Vote-buying
Meanwhile, Marawi police officers have foiled vote-buying attempts during the elections.
SPO 3 Ali Rangiris of Marawi City Police Station, flagged Richam Carem Labiste Suba, 25, who was said to have brought campaign materials with PHP20-bills attached to it.
Suba denied it was “vote-buying,” but the police said they will still conduct further questioning and sought for Suba’s explanation to Comelec.
“Hindi po pang-vote buying. Pambili lang po ng tubig (It is not for vote-buying. This will be given (to the voters) for them to buy water),” Suba explained.
Meanwhile, police had to fire warning shots when a fist fight erupted between supporters of opposing candidates over allegations of barring each other’s supporters to enter the polling center to cast their votes. They were voters of Barangay Lumbaca Madaya.
‘Flying voters’
Ahmadjan Marogong Abdulcarim, a voter of Bubonga Lilod Madaya, and three other female relatives have to pull a male civilian from his line after finding out that Abdulcarim’s name was supposed to be used to vote.
“I was following him in the line to the voting area when I found out that he is bringing a piece of paper with my name on it. Had he reached the BEI (Board of Election Inspector), he will be voting using my name,” Abdulcarim said in an interview.
The unidentified civilian was immediately ushered by two females, who identified themselves only as cousins, outside the polling center, away from the mad relatives of Abdulcarim.
Elections in temporary shelters
As early as 6 a.m., hundreds already lined up to their respective polling precincts in Marawi-Sagonsongan Pilot Elemetary School, a temporary learning space in Bahay Ng Pagbabago Temporary Shelters Site, in Barangay Sagonsongan.
The polling centers of the 22 out of 24 barangays in the most affected area were set-up here. These barangays which had been declared by the military as cleared had their polling centers in their respective places.
The Marawi-Sagonsongan PES was constructed in May for the displaced learners from the ground zero who are temporarily staying in Sagonsongan.
The buildings, which are made of woods, were donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ( Divina Suson/PNA)
