Elections in 2,023 villages postponed in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 3) Village and youth-council elections were postponed in 2,023 barangay (villages) Monday, after most of them failed to receive ballot boxes and other election paraphernalia, authorities said.

In its latest incident report issued at 3 p.m., Philippine National Police task force HOPE (Honest, Orderly, and Peaceful Elections) chief Director Benjamin Belarmino said that the majority of the villages where elections were postponed are in the Bicol Region: Masbate (551 villages), Albay (431), Camarines Sur (298), Sorsogon (185) ) and Catanduanes (183).

In Samar, 209 villages postponed their elections. Other provinces that postponed elections were Pangasinan (19 villages), Isabela (87), Nueva Vizcaya (16), Cagayan (20) and Tarlac (2).

The number constituted 4.8 percent of the total 42,025 villages across the country.

Belarmino, however, said that data still do not include villages in the regions of ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) and SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City) that postponed their elections.

Meanwhile, in a separate news conference, Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento attributed the failure to hold elections in these villages to either the late delivery of ballot boxes and election paraphernalia or to the onslaught of typhoon Juan (international name: Megi).

Elections and Barangay Affairs Department (EBAD) director Teopisto Elnas said that in Marawi City, 23 villages failed to conduct elections. Based on reports reaching the Commission on Elections, or Comelec, the board of election inspectors in these villages failed to go to polling centers as they were barricaded and prevented from leaving.

Areas that failed to conduct elections on Monday will push through with the exercise either on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to a resolution issued by the Comelec.

Comelec Resolution 9078, issued on October 24, states that if election paraphernalia and other forms do not arrived by 12 noon on election day at the polling centers, voting will be moved to Tuesday, October 26, or even on Wednesday, October 27.

“The Election Officer shall announce the postponement of elections in the polling centers affected and the date of resetting of elections,” the resolution states.

The same resolution also states that in areas where election paraphernalia arrive before 12 noon, voting will proceed and continue up to 5 p.m.

“If after 5 p.m., there are still voters present who have not yet cast their votes…the poll clerk shall, without delay, list the names of said voters consecutively numbered.

“The voters listed shall be called to vote by the poll clerk by announcing each name three times in the order in which they are listed. Any voter in the list who is not present when called shall not be permitted to vote at any later time. The said list shall be submitted to the Election Officer,” the resolution said.

Despite the generally peaceful local elections so far, police have noted incidents of vote-buying, vote snatching and alleged presence of armed groups.

Belarmino said reports of incidents of vote-buying and snatching took place in Abra. There were also reports of armed men in polling precincts in Antipolo City.

The incidents of election-related violence also went up to 47, in which 32 people died. Most of the attacks occurred in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“Compared with the 2007 [local] elections, we still consider this as peaceful in the sense that the incidents of violence were fewer. In 2007, there were 67 ERVIs (election-related violent incidents),” Belarmino said.