#ThewRap: Things you need to know, May 15, 2018

Good morning, Rappler readers! 

A day after the barangay elections, President Rodrigo Duterte explained that he skipped voting on Monday, May 14, because he wanted to “erase the suspicion” from his candidate-friends on whether he voted for them. Monday’s elections were the first under Duterte’s presidency, and the first to be held in 5 years after several postponements.

In Marawi City, there is fear sweeping among residents that they could lose their land when the government begins rehabilitation work. The fear is rooted in the messy land ownership in the city.

Meanwhile, the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Monday – the same day Israeli forces killed 55 Palestinians on the Gaza border. It was the deadliest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war.

Here are today’s top stories. 

Duterte: Skipping barangay elections ‘purely political’

Duterte, the mayor of Davao City for two decades, failed to show up at his polling precinct at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo High School until it closed at 3:05 pm on Monday.

IN PHOTOS: From Luzon to Mindanao, violence, vote buying, confusion reported

Here’s a wrap of reports filed by our correspondents, as well as citizen journalists in the provinces.

Comelec won’t proclaim winning but unqualified barangay, SK bets

Acting Comelec Chair Al Parreño said that as of 7 pm Monday, the proclamation of 639 affected candidates has been suspended.

Messy land ownership in Marawi complicates rehabilitation

Many residents do not have official titles for the land they occupy while those who do have titles might find them overlapping with other claims.

8 of the leading Filipino scientists who make us proud

Juliana Chan, Asian Scientist editor-in-chief, told Rappler, “These 8 scientists have brought great pride to the Philippines and they deserve recognition at the national level.”

U.S. opens Jerusalem embassy on conflict’s bloodiest day in years

The dead included 8 children under the age of 16, according to the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations.

2 families staged Indonesian suicide bombings – police

The spate of bombings has rocked Indonesia, with the Islamic State group claiming both the church and police station attacks, raising fears about its influence in Southeast Asia as its dreams of a Middle Eastern caliphate fade.