Missing Voters’ Names, Violence Mar Cordillera Polls

Many Baguio poll watchers observed a rather low count of votes cast for the party list race, indicating that the local electorate is still largely unaware of if not indifferent to the party list system.

By Northern  Dispatch
posted by Bulatlat.com

BAGUIO CITY— Election irregularities, led by several cases of many voters unable to vote, and sporadic election-related violence marred the May 10 voting here and in some provinces of the Cordillera in northern Philippines.

As in past elections, many voters were disenfranchised even with the updated Comelec Voters’ List (CVL). At the same time, there were several reports about duplication of voters’ names or, even worse, long-deceased persons still listed.

Some voters went to the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office to ask for help to be able to vote. According to them, Comelec officials merely shrugged off the problem, saying “Sa susunod ka na lang bumoto” (Just vote next time).

As the voting closed at 3 p.m., only about half in vote-rich Irisan barangay (village) here reportedly cast their votes. Names of some Irisan voters may have been transferred to another polling place in adjacent San Carlos, or vice versa, reports said. The distance between the two polling places discouraged voters from locating their precincts. Irisan has the largest number of registered voters, numbering about 10,000.

Meanwhile, the biggest number of disenfranchised voters outside Baguio City was reported in Lagayan, Abra where armed men intimidated and harassed some 200 voters, it was reported.

Some supporters of administration candidates in Laguna were seen distributing campaign paraphernalia while a party-list group distributed sample ballots in one precinct. Philippine election  law provides that the campaign should end by midnight of Saturday; no campaigning is allowed on Sunday and on election day itself.

In Tineg, also in Abra, no election took place: heavy rains prevented Comelec from delivering election materials in time for monday’s voting. A radio report said the Comelec central office in Manila declared a failure of elections in Tineg withhold special elections to be held on May 11.

Earlier on Monday, a report reaching the Baguio-based Election Watch Media Center stated there was election-related violence in both Tineg and Lagayan. Armed men prevented many voters in both towns from going to the polling places.

Meanwhile, in Pinget Elementary School in this city, 103 ballots were reported missing at Precinct No. 00466 at about 10 a.m. The precinct’s Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) attested that there were 194 ballots the day before elections, but were surprised to find as the voting went on that more than one-half was missing.

Many Baguio poll watchers observed a rather low count of votes cast for the party list race, indicating that the local electorate is still largely unaware of if not indifferent to the party list system. Bulatlat.com

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