MARAWI CITY — Election paraphernalia have been sealed and secured in designated storage spaces at the Marawi City Hall and will only be deployed to different polling places in the wee hours of May 12. 

This, to ensure the credibility and integrity of the national and local elections in the city, considered a red area by the Commission on Elections.

The boxes, however, remain visible behind a locked glass door inside city hall and is heavily guarded by military personnel.

Based on 2022 data, the city has almost 80,000 registered voters. The biggest cluster of voters, some 14,000 people, will be casting their votes in Barangay Sagonsongan.

“We have already conducted inspection of the polling places. Nag designate tayo ng entry and exit points in the 36 voting centers dito sa Marawi,” said City Election Officer Atty Norpaisa Manduyog.

(We have designated entrance and exit points in the 36 polling places in Marawi City,)

Candidates in Marawi City quiet on first day of local campaign

Manduyog is confident that voting will be easier and faster due to the use of automated counting machines and the availability of contingency machines — one backup for every ACM in Lanao del Sur..

“Kung kinakailangan ng contingency ACM, yan ang gagamitin. But yung mga kaya pa naman ayusin, itroubleshoot yung machine, gagawin.”

(If we need a contingency ACM, we will use that. But if the machine can be fixed, we will troubleshoot it)

So far, the election period in the city has remained peaceful despite Marawi being placed under the red category by the Commission on Elections.

Evacuees spend time in their housing units provided by the government and private sector as they continue their lives, albeit under temporary circumstances in Marawi on October 15, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

ASSESSMENT ON REPORTED THREATS

The Philippine National Police, however, says it remains on its toes to ensure peaceful elections.

PLTCol Muhiddin Pagayawan, officer-in-charge of the Marawi City police, told ABS-CBN News that the office has received reports of threats to disrupt the polls.

“Ginagawan natin ng threat assessment kung too. May ginagawa na rin kaming hakbang. Pinapaintensify namin ang patrolling and coordination with the Philippine Army,” Pagayawan said.

(We are doing threat assessment to verify these threats. We have measures in place and we are intensifying our patrols and coordination with the Philippine Army.)

Pagayawan says past elections in Marawi City have seen shooting and mauling incidents, even “throwing of explosives,” as a result of intense political rivalries.

“At the same time, yung presence ng Maute. As you know, there was a siege in 2017. There are reports that they can also disrupt the conduct of elections.”