Irregular proceedings: Paracelis mayoral bet urges special elections

By Gina Dizon

PARACELIS, Mountain Province -- Mayoral candidate Ernesto Gunday filed before the Commission on Elections in Manila a petition for declaration of failure of elections as he called for special polls in four precincts here.

Gunday was second with 2,065 votes less 519 votes from co-candidate Avelino Amangyen’s 2,584 votes.

Eight candidates vied for the mayoral position.

Petitioning against respondents mayor-elect Amangyen and the Municipal Board of Canvassers headed by Virginia Chokowen, Gunday alleged inaction on the part of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) and the MBOC on his (Gunday’s) prior opposition which eventually led to the proclamation of Amangyen as municipal mayor on May 19.

Gunday earlier forwarded a certificate of challenge to the BEI stopping the counting of votes in Addang precinct on May 11, “but was not acted upon by BEI chairman Lucio Domingo.”

Stemming from his cause of action, the petitioner cited massive disenfranchisement of voters to cast their votes in three clustered precincts of Bunot barangay namely Maababnot, Apalis, and Addang; and Buringal Proper allegedly due to acts of terrorism, intimidation, and threats on the electorate.

A total of 158 voters were not able to cast their votes in Addang. Bodily threats from some irritated voters on the voting line resulted to the closing of the polling precinct at 4:00 pm on May 10, 2010.

Voting also started around 9 a.m. on said date.

In Precinct Apalis with 148 registered voters, four men reportedly frustrated with the printed election returns which showed zero votes, hacked the PCOS machine, poured gasoline and burned the machine along with the ballots.

In Maababnot with 218 registered voters, transmission of the electronic election returns failed several times.

In Buringal Proper, threats and intimidation against the lives of voters were reportedly employed by several unidentified persons who insisted that were no more ballots.

A total of 97 out of 169 voters were not able to cast their votes.

In the same petition to the Comelec, Gunday forwarded a motion for inhibition of MBOC Chairman Virginia Chokowen, which “until now has not been acted upon by the body.”

Petitioner alleged that Chokowen was seen entering the house of private respondent.

“This act of MBOC Chairman Virginia Chokowen is in plain and utter disregard of what is incumbent upon her as chairman of a Comelec arm charged by the Constitution of ensuring free, orderly, peaceful and credible elections”, he said.

Gunday also noted that the “MBOC of Paracelis was more concerned on the proclamation of the provincial candidates rather than the municipal level of which it stands to canvass.”