Raps set over registration of voters in mayor’s house

BALAGTAS, Bulacan — The vice mayor of this town sought the removal from office of municipal Commission on Elections officer, lawyer Zoilo Reyes, following reports that a ‘special’ registration of voters was held yesterday at the house of Balagtas Mayor Reynaldo Castro.

Upon hearing reports from residents of Barangay Borol 2nd, Vice Mayor Emmanuel Galvez immediately looked for a witness and formally filed his complaint with the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau at Camp Alejo Santos in Malolos town yesterday afternoon.

Galvez claimed that there had been a conspiracy between Reyes and Castro to hold the said "special registration" in the latter’s house.

He added that such registrations are considered illegal and is a violation of the Omnibus Election Code since the Comelec had ruled that registrations should be held at the municipal halls of every town.

The vice mayor said he cannot recall any Comelec ruling on the extension of voter’s registration, from its deadline last Dec. 27.

Earlier, Comelec chairman Harriet Demetriou issued a resolution en banc declaring July 1 to Dec. 27 as the date of registration of all qualified voters for the May 2001 elections.

Galvez said the Comelec has not yet extended the registration period and claimed that what Reyes and Castro did was a defiance of the Comelec rules.

The STAR asked a woman who came out of Castro’s house and she said there was only one person who registered on that day. She claimed that what happened inside the mayor’s house was a verification of the voters’ list, which Galvez still claims is illegal.

A certain Willy Magbitang, the mayors’ neighbor, confirmed that there were people who came out from the mayor’s house with ink marks on their fingers. It was believed that these people had registered inside the mayor’s house because of the said ink marks.

Castro was unavailable for comment as of press time. — James Mananghaya