NORTHERN KABUNTALAN, Maguindanao del Norte — On ordinary days, Madrasat Al-Riayah Al-Islamiya is a place where Muslim children study. When floods hit Barangay Indatuan, it becomes an evacuation center.
On Monday, it took on another role: a polling site for residents casting their ballots in the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.
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Voting began at 7 a.m., with election personnel setting up an automated counting machine, voting booths and tables inside the modest Islamic school.
Barangay Indatuan chairperson Aga Pananggalan said flooding is a recurring problem in the community. The madrasah is among the places used to shelter residents forced to leave their homes when floodwaters rise.
The village chairperson said floodwaters sometimes reach the building itself, while water in parts of the community can rise above knee level during severe flooding.
The weather, however, favored voters on Monday. The chairperson said there had been no rain for several days before the election, allowing residents to cast their ballots without flooding at the polling site.
The madrasah, built with wooden framing, wire-mesh sections and corrugated roofing, accommodated election workers and voters who began arriving early in the morning.
For some residents, the polling site was also a reminder of a problem they hope the officials elected to the Bangsamoro Parliament will address.
Voters said they want the incoming officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to find a lasting solution to the flooding that has long affected their community.
For Barangay Indatuan residents, the madrasah has adapted to the community’s needs—a school on ordinary days, a refuge when floods come, and on Monday, a place where they chose the leaders they hope will address one of their most persistent problems. /jpv
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