Senators’ minions warned; PCOS technicians screened

By Larry T. Lopez

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – With the start of the campaign period for national positions, the Commission on Elections here warned supporters of senatorial candidates to observe rules set by the Commission during the campaign period or face sanctions.

This, as the provincial Comelec office started screening applicants as Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine technicians for the automated May polls in the province.

Provincial Election supervisor Dexter BaryCawis said Kalinga needs 204 PCOS machine technicians to serve in 259 clustered precincts province wide.

According to Cawis, the province targets to come-up with the 204 qualified applicants.

Since computer-trained teachers from the Department of Education whom the Comelec eyed to tap as PCOS machine technicians were the same teachers assigned as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs), the slots were opened to interested Information Technology (IT) students from colleges here.

The 204 technicians will serve for three days together with the BEIs in the May 13 mid-term elections and are given the same rate of honoraria.

Meanwhile, with the start of the campaign period for national positions , the Comelec warned supporters of senatorial candidates to observe rules set by the Commission during the campaign period.

Supporters must follow the common poster area designated by Comelec-Kalinga, warning that Comelec will remove all posters hung in other areas.

Cawis reiterated that anybody caught tampering other candidate’s posters is penalized under Comelec rules as he called on all concerned to work for peaceful and orderly election in the province.