CEBU CITY — The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Central Visayas went “generally peaceful” on Monday.
This was the initial assessment of both Provincial Regional Office-7 (PRO-7) director Chief Supt. Robert Quenery and Commission on Elections-7 (Comelec -7) acting director lawyer Veronico Petalcorin during a press conference at the Regional Multi-Agency Coordinating Center (RMAC).
Quenery said the RMAC as of 3 p.m. has recorded no election-related deaths in Central Visayas, except for minor incidents.
“Generally, our more than 3,900 polling centers are open. There were minor incidents, like arrest of persons for violation of liquor ban and bladed weapons, but overall, the election is generally peaceful,” Quenery said.
“When we say ‘generally peaceful,’ it means the voice of the people was heard. The election was successful 100 percent,” he added.
Petalcorin echoed Quenery’s statement, saying the election was successful and peaceful despite reports of rampant vote-buying not only in Cebu but as well as in Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.
He said the Comelec regularly receives these kinds of reports and complaints during election time but they cannot do anything about it as these allegations have to be verified first.
“We are swamped with complaints, but what worries me the most is the concerns raised by PWDs (persons with disabilities) and senior citizens who have difficulty in getting to their respective precincts which are located on the second or third floor of the school building,” Petalcorin said.
He called on able-bodied voters to assist the elderlies and PWDs in getting to their polling precincts and urged election officers to allow the senior and disabled citizens to vote in areas that are accessible to them.
“As long as the voters’ constitutional right to suffrage is being practiced and the secrecy of the ballot is preserved, it’s okay,” Petalcorin said.
When asked about the reported early morning shooting incidents in the City of Naga, Lapu-Lapu City, and Dumanjug, Cebu, Quenery said they are still validating those incidents.
“We are still validating the reports. We are awaiting the validation of our chiefs of police (in those areas). It’s important that we validate any report that is untoward in this particular electoral exercise,” Quenery told the media.
Early Monday morning, residents of Barangay Nalad in Naga reported hearing gunshots around 1 a.m., while the house of an incumbent barangay captain in Dumanjug town was reportedly strafed with bullets around 1:30 a.m.
In Lapu-Lapu, a businessman whose son is running for a barangay post was shot around 2:30 a.m. while getting out of his vehicle. He reportedly suffered gunshot wounds in his shoulder, leg, and stomach, and was rushed to a private hospital in Cebu City.
The PRO-7 has deployed a total of 4,889 personnel for the 3,956 polling centers and 650 policemen as quick response teams in all 3,003 barangays in Central Visayas, while the Armed Forces of the Philippines – Central Command sent off 588 soldiers. (PNA)
