REBUILDING The bullet-riddled minaretes stand solemn and sacred on top of the Grand Mosque, which symbolize the strong Muslim faith in religion. —RICHEL V. UMEL
MANILA, Philippines — Despite reported delay in the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi City, seven of the 12 senatorial candidates with the highest votes in the Islamic City were backed by the Duterte administration.
This is according to the 12:26 p.m. partial and unofficial tally of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) Transparency Server. As of 1:53 p.m., 74.53 percent of the election returns (ERs) have already been processed in Marawi.
Although Marawi civic leader and Otso Diretso opposition senatorial contender Samira Gutoc garnered the highest vote in the area with 30,350 votes, 58 percent of the winners there were administration-backed.
They were former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, who came in second with 6, 896 votes; followed by Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan’s (PDP-Laban) Dong Mangudadatu with 6,811’ PDP-Laban and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) contender Bato dela Rosa (6,331); and HNP bet reelectionist Cynthia Villar (6,135).
Independent candidates Senator Grace Poe (5,775) and Faisal Mangondato (5,459) got the 6th and 7th spots, respectively. PDP-Laban’s Aquilino Pimentel III came in 8th place with 5,331 votes; followed by HNP bet reelectionist Sonny Angara (5,083); Otso Diretso’s Bam Aquino (4,624); another HNP bet Pia Cayetano (4,620); and Nationalist People’s Coalition’s (NPC) Lito Lapid (4,454). NPC and HNP bet reelectionist Senator JV Ejercito clinched the 13th spot with 4,351 votes.
Source: https://validate.ppcrv.org/graph/
On May 23, 2017, the ISIS-inspired Maute group attacked Marawi in Mindanao, destroying public infrastructure, private properties, livelihood sources, and displacing thousands of residents from their homes.
After government forces successfully regained control of the city and killed known international terrorist Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute, the administration declared the city liberated from terror forces on October 17, 2017.
Although the area remains a “ghost town” to date, voters there seem to stay supportive of the Duterte-backed candidates based on the partial and unofficial results.
READ: Marawi still a ghost town 2 years after siege ended
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