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A neighbouring city in lockdown, as fighting rages in Marawi

ILIGAN — When she heard the firing of gun shots on the afternoon of May 23, Ms Nerilyn D Suarez initially dismissed it as another "rido" - a local term to describe feuds between families or clans over issues ranging from land and money disputes to political rivalries.

Iligan police line up citizens caught loitering in the streets after curfew hours. The local government has enacted curfew hours after President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the island of Mindanao. Photo: Luis Liwanag/TODAY

Iligan police line up citizens caught loitering in the streets after curfew hours. The local government has enacted curfew hours after President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the island of Mindanao. Photo: Luis Liwanag/TODAY

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ILIGAN — When she heard the firing of gun shots on the afternoon of May 23, Ms Nerilyn D Suarez initially dismissed it as another "rido" - a local term to describe feuds between families or clans over issues ranging from land and money disputes to political rivalries.

(Above: Nerilyn D Suarez, 35, speaks while her husband Jory (back) tends to their child inside an evacuation Center in Iligan City. Photo: Luis Liwanag/TODAY)

But the gun shots persisted in Marawi - a city next to Iligan where Ms Suarez was residing - over day and night for two consecutive days. Ms Suarez subsequently got wind from her neighbours that Islamist militants had invaded their city, which by then was already under martial law.

Peeping from her door, the 35-year-old saw armed men clad in black from head to toe stationed in the street just opposite her home.

Concerned over the safety of her two children - a two-month-old baby boy and a seven-year-old daughter - Ms Suarez and her husband moved to a cousin's house, also in Marawi and about 40 minutes away by car.

"I thought her area would be peaceful, but I was wrong. The militants took over the entire city," Ms Suarez told TODAY on Saturday (Jun 10) 

Speaking in Tagalog, she said the Islamist militants wanted to "cleanse" the city of Christians, who were among their list of undesirables. Others on their hitlist included Shiite Muslims and polytheists - people who believe in more than one God.

"My relative's Muslim neighbour told me and my family 'They're killing Christians. You need to get out,'" said Ms Suarez, who is a Catholic. 

Feeling trapped and fearing persecution, she endured sleepless nights. Meanwhile, the same neighbour helped her plot an escape.

On May 31, Ms Suarez was dressed like a Muslim woman, complete with a headscarf, and was told not to utter a word as she and her family scurried past the militants. 

By late afternoon, they entered Iligan - about an hour's drive from Marawi - and found refuge in the Sta Elena multi-purpose hall which has been converted into a temporary evacuation centre for people who escaped from Marawi.

(Above: A mother and her children sleep in an evacuation centre in Sta. Elena, Iligan. Her family escaped from Marawi city to after an ongoing battle between government troops and ISIS-linked Maute militants. Photo: Luis Liwanag/TODAY)

At the hall, where some 1,100 refugees like Ms Suarez and her family are staying, conditions are poor. The stench of rotten food and urine fill the air. Children could be seen playing ping pong - using their slippers as paddles - while parents fed their offspring or pat their babies to sleep in makeshift hammocks created by tying cloth to poles.

Outside the building, there is only one water point for the refugees who use it to collect water to bathe and wash their clothes. There are eleven portable toilets, which works out to one for every 100 refugees. 

Medical workers said there are currently 181 young children among the refugees at the centre. According to figures from local authorities, as of Wednesday, there were almost 55,000 civilian refugees scattered across 37 evacuation centres located in areas such as Iligan and Lano del Norte.

One of the common illnesses among the refugees is upper respiratory tract infection, said medical worker Yasmin Abdullah, 35. She added that there is a health centre three blocks away to attend to the medical needs of the refugees. Health advisories on dengue and good hygiene have also been pasted on the walls of the centre.

(Above: Pairosah Faisal (R) and her sister recount their experiences when they were caught between a battle between government troops and ISIS-linked Maute militants in Marawi City, May 23, 2017. Photo: Luis Liwanag/TODAY)

Another resident at the centre is 17-year-old Pairosah Faisal. The fourth of eleven children in her family, she was at an indoor market in Marawi on May 23 with her parents - who were vegetable stall vendors - when Islamist militants stormed into the building. 

"They were looking for Christians and asked each one of us to recite an Islamic prayer to check if we are really Muslims," said Pairosah, speaking in a mixture of English and Tagalog.

"While we recite, they were pointing their guns at us."

After remaining in the city for another 12 days, her family could no longer endure the constant firefight between the army and militants.

On June 6, they made it to the evacuation centre via government vehicles. 

"What the militants did is not what Islam is. We are taught to love, not to kill people. This is wrong, the militants are wrong," said Pairosah, a senior high school student.

(Above: Police Senior Superintendent Leony Roy Ga, City DIrector of the Iligan City Police Office talks about the police force's role in the implementation of martial law in the province of Iligan. Photo: Luis Liwanag/TODAY)

While Iligan is unaffected by the conflict, there were concerns among local authorities that the fighting might spill over, said Police Senior Superintendent Leony Roy Ga, who is the city director of the Iligan City Police Office.

"Iligan is just about an hour away and there're so many entry points that the militants can use to come in, including the mountains," he added.

While military presence is not as heavy in Iligan compared to Marawi, police officers have fanned out across the city.

(Above: Security personnel check the identity of motorists, to prevent ISIS-linked militants from entering the city, along a public Highway in Iligan City. Photo:Luis Liwanag/TODAY)

There are 13 security checkpoints in place, each manned by at least 10 armed police officers. Civilians crossing the checkpoints must alight from their vehicles and have their identification cards checked.

At each gantry, there are posters showing the faces of more than 30 wanted local terrorists. 

Driving on the highway towards Sta Elena centre, one would cross at least three security checkpoints.

The curfew imposed at Iligan, which was originally between 10pm and 4am and applied only to minors - those below 18 - when martial law was first enforced, has also been extended. Since Monday, the curfew applies to everyone and lasts from 9pm to 5am.

For those who have escaped Marawi, they are unsure whether they should return to their city or remain in Iligan.

Ms Suarez spoke about her fear of being persecuted as a Christian. But for Pairosah, whose ambition is to be a scientist, all she wanted was to go back to school. "I miss my old life. I miss school and I'm graduating this year. I don't know if I'm able to graduate but I hope so," she said.

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