Comelec: Marawi records intact

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday assured the public that its records in strife-torn Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, including lists of registered voters, were safe and secure.

Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said the data was being safeguarded even as several poll employees affected by the clashes had already fled the city.

“The records are secured in the Marawi provincial capitol. We monitor the situation on a daily basis,”  the poll official said.

Since Tuesday last week, government troops have been fighting the Maute terrorist group which reportedly took more than 200 hostages, including Catholic priests.

Scores have died and thousands more have fled their homes in Marawi City to avoid the gun battles and the military’s airstrikes.

Bautista said 61 out of 112 poll employees in Lanao del Sur were reportedly affected by the clashes.

“The Comelec has provided financial assistance to them. They move on their own but we are monitoring where they are,” he said.

Election Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said the Comelec en banc  approved P1 million in aid to the residents of Marawi City during its session on Tuesday.

In a post on her Twitter account, Guanzon said the affected Comelec employees evacuated to Iligan City and other nearby towns.