I was setting up a drone camera, a small black DJI Mavic Air that I and my research team from the Ateneo de Manila University planned to fly over the lake.Before setting up, we had asked the townsfolk for permission, through our guide and translator, a Tugaya resident. They asked what it was for and we said it was for documentation of the area. Reluctantly, they agreed.A few moments into the flight, a commotion erupted from the town hall nearby. People were agitated and apparently we caused it.
This was further validated in another evacuation area when the bakwit told us that there was a good spot to fly out from. They said it was where they brought most of the previous media visitors. I was also told to fly over a certain ridge so that I could get a dramatic image of the MAA from afar. But the place turned out to be inaccessible because of road constructions.
We traced the area in Lanao Lake where the Maute brothers entered. We were waiting for a Navy captain to give us the go signal to fly our drone. While waiting, it started raining and the chance to fly the drone was becoming bleak.Eventually, he arrived and gave us two conditions. First, he would watch over my shoulder so that he could see on my monitor where the drone was going. Second, we could not cross an imaginary line because it would be over the Navy controlled area.
Radio interference made it particularly difficult to fly anyway. If I lost signal, I might not get good footage or worse, I might lose contact with the drone. What also made it difficult were the light rain and the pressure of someone looking over my shoulder. In his book, Howley also talked about witnessing and resistance. Drones are being used to look at, document, and record the landscapes of conflicts and disasters.
Marawi is still reeling and waiting for its chance to recover. The government has left the Meranaw in the air with slow relief efforts and minimal public services. These are manifested in the systemic injustices of red tape, vertical permissions of power, and the lingering trauma of displacement.
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