SAN JOSE De BUENAVISTA, Antique — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has reminded the Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) not to meddle in the May 14 elections.
Comelec Antique Election Supervisor Roberto Salazar in an interview on Monday said that his office was instructed by Comelec Acting Regional Director Tomas Valera to conduct a fact-finding investigation on the complaint that SMPC administrator is campaigning for a certain barangay captain.
The complainant, a certain Henry Malacad, brought the issue through the program of news anchor Erwin Tulfo.
“We are going to conduct a fact finding investigation as soon as we can,” Salazar said.
He said that he could not go there personally to conduct the fact-finding investigation because it is already election day and he also serves as the acting Municipal Supervisor of San Jose de Buenavista.
He added that he sent an election officer to Semirara to meet the complainant and to deliver the election paraphernalia for the May 14th exercise.
“I also gave instruction to the complainant through the phone to document any violation they could notice because it is also hard without any evidence submitted,” he said.
Meanwhile, Salazar said that the election process in other towns went smoothly except for precincts in Pis-anan, Sibalom and in Patnongon towns where voting was somehow delayed.
The Board of Election Tellers for Pis-anan found out early Monday morning prior to the opening of the polling precinct that they lose along the way their needed forms. These include the Election Day Computerized Voters List and Posted Computerized Voters List for barangay and SK voters while the two precincts in Patnongon had mistakenly swapped their forms.
“The forms for Pis-anan had to be reprinted while for Patnongon it had to be exchanged that caused the delay,” Salazar said.
He also instructed the Electoral Board to call three times the names of voters if they are present so that they could still be given opportunity to cast their votes even after 3 p.m.
“Those who would not be present after the roll call could no longer vote,” Salazar said.
He also urged voters not to wait for the 3 p.m. to cast their votes. (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA)
