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LIVE UPDATES AND RESULTS: Maguindanao plebiscite

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LIVE UPDATES AND RESULTS: Maguindanao plebiscite

Alejandro Edoria/Rappler

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Over 800,000 eligible voters hold Maguindanao’s fate in their hands on Saturday, September 17, as they vote to decide on the province’s proposed split into two.

The one-day plebiscite is set to determine whether law signed by then-president Rodrigo Duterte in 2021 will be successfully ratified.

With the lack of visible opposition campaigners, local officials have been expecting residents to accept the province’s division into two: Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

Bookmark and refresh this page for updates on the Maguindanao plebiscite.

LATEST UPDATES

Maguindanao plebiscite ends

Dwight de Leon

Rappler Recap: Partial turnout of Maguindanao plebiscite already at 56%

Rappler.com
LIVE UPDATES AND RESULTS: Maguindanao plebiscite

HIGHLIGHTS: Comelec press briefing on plebiscite day

Rappler.com

Comelec press briefing on the Maguindanao plebiscite

Rappler.com
LIVE UPDATES AND RESULTS: Maguindanao plebiscite

Namfrel: Very low turnout on the morning of plebiscite day

Dwight de Leon

Poll watchdog National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections said the plebiscite has been smooth and peaceful so far, but turnout was “very low” in some voting centers.

Here are some of Namfrel’s initial observations:

  • Security remains an issues as some voters decided not to leave their homes due to safety concerns
  • Ballot boxes in some polling places were open “or fastened with just a plastic seal”
  • COVID-19 protocols on the wearing of face masks and physical distancing were not strictly observed in some polling places

Read full report here:

LOOK: Comelec Chair Garcia checks conduct of plebiscite

Dwight de Leon

Watchdog notes some issues in first hours of Maguindanao plebiscite

Dwight de Leon

Poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) published its assessment of the first few hours of the Maguindanao plebiscite, saying poll workers arrived on time and without delays, but raised some issues that its volunteers observed.

These include:

  • Lack of voters’ assistance desk in some locations, causing some delay and uncertainty
  • Report of missing names in some voters’ list
  • Presence of military and other security personnel inside the voting center
  • Lack of accessible polling places for vulnerable sectors in some voting centers

Read Lente’s report below:


Comelec sees high voter turnout in Maguindanao plebiscite

Herbie Gomez

Comelec Chairman George Garcia, who is supervising the plebiscite in Maguindanao, says the number of voters could surpass Comelec projections.

Photos on social media pages, including that of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), show empty seats in plebiscite precincts as of mid-morning on Saturday, though the plebiscite would be until 3 pm.

Read more.

Lente’s assessment of first few hours of plebiscite

Dwight de Leon

No voters so far at precinct in Borongotan Elementary School

Dwight de Leon