COTABATO CITY – Authorities have ordered people entering here from other areas to show their identification cards to officers manning the city’s entry points—if they have no IDs, their names and purpose for visiting will be logged by police.

On Friday, authorities flagged down public transport and private vehicles to check if the drivers had their IDs with them.

Those who did not have any identification cards were guided to the police assistance desk, where they were made to write their names in a logbook, including their reasons for coming to Cotabato City.

While some said they did not like the delays caused by the security measure, as road and foot traffic slowed down as people and vehicles queued for inspection, some also said they favored the implementation of the “No ID, no entry” policy in Cotabato City for security purposes.

The said policy was implemented a day after the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, following the Marawi City clashes.

According to authorities, the policy was put in place to ensure the safety of Cotabatenios, as the city is near Marawi City, and is also the seat of government of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.