Candidates press failure of elections, special polls

By Gina Dizon

PARACELIS, Mountain Province - Candidates of this town called on the Commission on Elections to declare failure of elections and called for special polls here following the burning of a PCOS machine here at Apalis precinct in Bunot barangay and stopping of elections at Addang precinct during the May 10 elections.

In the jampacked municipal hall here, protesting candidates demanded non-transmission of election results to the Provincial Board of Canvassers.

The PCOS machine and its accessories were burned at Apalis Elementary School by suspects identified by witnesses as Ramos Dangasen and Jose Dakiwag on May 10 at7:30 p.m.

Police reports said Board of Election Inspectors Thomas Abad, Ricardo Machanum, Erlinda Agdaca and PCOS machine technician Zita Ayawan had dinner a distance away from the polling Center when the incident happened.

Before going out, they reportedly instructed SPO1 Anselmo Gannisi to safeguard the PCOs machine readied to be transported to the Municipal Building housing the MBOC.

The BEI officials returned to the polling center and told Gannisi to have his dinner but were told that two men forcibly took the PCOS machine outside the polling room and burned it with gasoline. Suspects eluded arrest.

This, even as Comelec officer Virginia Chokowen said election results shall be consolidated and transmitted to the PBOC as election returns were printed from the PCOS machine in Apalis before this was burned.

Sangguniang Bayan candidate Miguel Mike Assud said it was impossible that the PCOS machine registered zero vote for him considering he is from Bunot where he cast his vote and that of his family and relatives in his favor.

Assud said he was not blaming anybody, adding the problem was the defective PCOS machine which did not read what the electorate voted for.

Petitioners in their resolution also said some candidates did not obtain a single vote at Ma-ab-abnot precint due to the use of a defective flash card.

Assud and other protesting candidates appealed to the Municipal Board of Election Officers to respect people’s votes and their right to vote, stop the transmission of results, and hear the petition of the protesters.

They also claimed the stopping of the elections in Addang municipality at 4 p.m. following a commotion among the voters lined up to cast their votes, resulted to the frustration of 160 voters for not casting their votes.

SB candidate Arthur Gubia-on also questioned the absence of Chokowen who “most times is not in the MBOC venue to respond to issues raised.”

Tension followed after non transmission of results from all of the 41 polling centers of Paracelis by 7 to 8 p.m. on election day.

Due to non-transmittal of Smartmatic’s PCOS results from the polling centers to the MBOC, Chokowen ordered transfer of the machines and accessories from the precincts to the MBOC.

Board of Election Inspector Franklin Dulawon stationed in Addang polling center of Bunot barangay said there was no antenna and modem included in the Smartmatic kit to transmit the results from the polling center to the MBOC.

Same was true with the other 41 clustered precincts having their respective PCOS machines.

The consolidation of results was done afternoon of May 12, less three contested areas at three precincts of Apalis, Addang, and Ma-ab-abnot oif barangay Bunot as of May 13.

There are 41 clustered polling centers with PCOS machines here in the eight barangays of Poblacion, Butigue,Palitod, Buringal, Bunot, Bantay, Bananao, Bacarri, and Anonat.