30 voter-registrants face raps for fake IDs

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The Comelec city office will be filing charges against at least 30 people for alleged falsification of identification cards and other documents in registering as voters for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

Comelec-Bacolod election officer Mavil Majarucon Sia said among the erring registrants were minors who, however will not be held liable due to the Juvenile Justice Law. She said the people behind this violation should be made answerable, as well as the parents of the minors who are still under parental authority.

Sia said the documents of these 30 registrants will be evaluated and verified during the Election Registration Board hearing on August 12, before the new list of registrants is released. Those who allegedly have falsified documents will be summoned to the hearing, and the city Comelec will also consult its legal department at the central office in Manila on the legal steps to be undertaken, she said.

The IDs, recovered by the Comelec, were confirmed as counterfeits by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Sia said.

Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) expected intense political rivalries among candidates in the barangay and SK elections on October 28. This is because rivalries at the barangay level are mostly personal and candidates live in the same place, explained NOPPO director, Sr. Supt. Milko Lirazan.

Lirazan, however, assured the public that security plans are now in place to ensure peaceful elections, while he recommended to the Comelec the signing of peace covenants among the candidates.

The Police Regional Office-6 is now finalizing plans also for training of more civilian security escorts to serve as force multipliers during the elections.

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, PRO-6 director, said his commande will coordinate with the Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division in the preparation of security measures to ensure peaceful and orderly barangay elections. (FREEMAN)