2 Palawan Precincts Temporarily Stopped Voting Process After Candidate Supporters Destroyed Unused Ballots
Several candidate supporters reportedly destroyed the ballots in two Palawan precincts, and voting for BSKE 2023 stopped.
On Monday (October 30, 2023), the voting for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in two precincts in Palawan was temporarily stopped due to an intense commotion.
According to the reports, some supporters of a candidate went to Precincts No. 0121B and 0122A in Barangay Princesa in Puerto Princesa City and wreaked havoc. The suspects reportedly destroyed unused ballots in two polling precincts.
Upon receiving reports of the commotion, the Department of Education and City Police Office personnel arrived in the area to investigate the incident.
The incident allegedly started when one group claimed that some voters were not registered in the area. The group claimed that those unregistered individuals were being allowed to cast their votes.
The accusation led to tensions that eventually escalated into the destruction of the unused ballots.
The city officer of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) emphasized that the voting process was not the appropriate time to contest the voter list. Instead, the Comelec officer clarified that such concerns should have been raised and addressed before the list of eligible voters was officially approved by the poll body.
“Nagruling na kanina yung ating city Comelec officer Atty, Julius Juebas na hindi ito sana yung panahon ng pagko-contest doon sa sinasabing alleged flying voters, dahil dapat ito sana na contest na umano noong panahon na bago iapprove yung list of voters sa lungsod ng Puerto Princesa,” Junfred Calamba said.
Earlier, President Marcos casts vote early for 2023 BSKE, reminds Filipinos not to engage in vote buying
While the disruption caused a temporary delay in the voting process, it is important for election officials and law enforcement agencies to ensure that such incidents are handled promptly and impartially to maintain peace and order during the 2023 BSKE.
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
