Comelec ready for Lanao del Sur special polls

MANILA, Philippines — Two days before the holding of the special elections in Tubaran, Lanao del Sur, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has given assurance that the situation in the town’s 12 barangays is under control.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia yesterday said the poll body’s partners – the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) – have been securing the area to ensure peaceful and orderly elections tomorrow.

“So far, the situation in the area is controlled. We will ensure that the people would vote in the precincts,” Garcia said. “The AFP, PNP and PCG, all these forces were there since last week.”

The special elections will be conducted tomorrow in the villages of Baguiangun, Datumanong, Gadongan, Guiarong, Metadicop, Malaganding, Mindamunag, Pagalamatan, Paigoday-pimbataan, Riantaran, Tangcal and Wago.

Of the province’s 685,643 registered voters, 11,557 are from the town proper of Tubaran and only 6,921 are from the 12 barangays.

“For these special elections, we brought contingency paraphernalia just in case, and these included vote counting machines,” the Comelec said.

Personnel and officers of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police will serve as special election board of electors for tomorrow’s poll.

While the Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), pushed through with the proclamation of the 12 winning senators on May 18, it delayed the proclamation of the winners in the party-list race, pending results of the special elections in Tubaran.

The NBOC has received 172 certificates of canvass and is waiting for the 173rd COC from Lanao del Sur.

The Comelec has yet to schedule the special elections in Barangay Ragayan in Butig town and Barangay Pindolonan in Binidayan, both in Lanao del Sur, where a failure of elections was also declared.

Both barangays have 1,374 combined registered voters.