MANILA, Philippines – After an eight-hour plebiscite, Marawi City residents voted to approve the creation of three more barangays in their city.

Of the 2,123 voters, 2,121 voted in the affirmative to ratify the creation of the new barangays, while only two voted no. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the overall voter turnout was 93.73%.

The plebiscite’s results effectively created these new villages:

• Barangay Sultan Corobong (created from Barangay Dulay Proper)
• Barangay Sultan Panoroganan (created from Barangay Kilala)
• Barangay Angoyao (created from Barangay Patani)

The Comelec said all eight clustered precincts in three voting centers in barangays Dulay, Kilala, and Patani promptly opened and functioned at 7 am, and closed at 3 pm. The counting and proclamation of results followed afterward.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, Comelec commissioners Aimee Ferolino and Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr., and other poll officials monitored the plebiscite on the ground.

“The COMELEC extends its gratitude to all its partner agencies which made the conduct of these Plebiscites orderly, peaceful and secure, namely the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with the full support of the Marawi City Local Government Unit,” the country’s poll body said in a statement.

Earlier, the poll body explained that the number of residents in the three mother barangays increased in recent years, which paved the way for the creation of new villages. The country’s local government code states that a new village may be created from an existing one if the said territory has at least 2,000 residents.

The three barangays were the latest addition to the city. In March 2023, Marawi City residents also voted to approve the creation of two new barangays: Barangay Boganga II and Barangay Datu Dalidigan. – with reports from Dwight de Leon/ Rappler.com