MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan, (PNA)–Tension gripped a polling precinct in Barangay Sumapang Matanda here after a flying voter managed to cast a vote under a registered voter’s name Monday morning.
Marilyn de Guzman was shocked after she found out that somebody had voted in her behalf.
She asked the election personnel of Precinct 305 where her name was included in the list of registered voters why and how somebody managed to vote in her behalf while showing them her voter’s identification card.
”It seems that that the members of the board of election inspectors in precinct 305 in Sumapang Matanda became lax as a flying voter managed to cast a vote under another person’s name,” Willie Garcia, a candidate for village chief, said.
Garcia said that elections should be sacred and that each vote is important.
City Police chief Supt. David Poklay said that duty policemen were able to resolve the matter peacefully after informing Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials.
Lawyer Elmo Duque, Bulacan provincial election supervisor, said that the Malolos City election office has already resolved the matter and will allow de Guzman to cast her vote while they will declare as spoiled the one cast by the flying voter.
Incidents of alleged vote buying and other forms of cheating were also reported but the Comelec acted fast in resolving the matter.
Duque said that all complaints were verified and acted upon in coordination with local policemen but so far no substantial evidence can prove such allegations.
“It’s given. There will be complaints and we have acted on it. Unless there will be sufficient evidence, only then can the complaint be legitimate,” he said.
Overall, Duque said the barangay elections in the province’s 21 towns and three cities was generally peaceful as of 12 noon Monday.
In San Miguel town, which has history of election and politically related violence, the situation is also peaceful, according to town police chief Supt. Fitz Macariola.
Macariola, however, said that last Sunday, the police station received complaints of four alleged incidents of vote buying but when a police team came to verify, it turned out to be false.
”Each has his own gimmick and way to undermine one’s personality, but overall, there is no violence reported in the town of San Miguel,” Macariola said.
Governor Wilhelmino M. Alvarado urged candidates to observe the value of sportsmanship and respect the will of the voters.
“Voting is just a day. Thus, let us accept whatever will be the result and help towards the progress of our barangays,” Alvarado said.