Pilar mayor, hopeful of new barangay partners

PILAR Mayor Wilson Pajo, who has been working to get the town off the list of most poverty stricken
towns in Bohol said he appreciates the new team members who are getting the people’s mandate in
the past barangay and Sangguninag Kabataan elections.

These people, he said would be his partners in plotting the development plans for the town’s 21
barangays.

This too as the town retained about half of its village chairmen while residents also elected 11 new
punong barangays, town information officer Gualberto Jaspe said Friday.

And from independent sources, this early, at least two returning barangay chairmen and three more
newly elected chairmen would be contesting the coveted seat of the town’s Association of Barangay
Councils.

Winning however is another story, Jaspe said as he pointed out that these hopefuls would contend
with incumbent ABC ex officio Sangguninag Bayan Member and still eligible candidate captain from
Barangay Cansungay.

Newly elected punong barangays to man the town’s frontline offices in the basic local government
units are Henry Tutor (Pamacsalan), Marcelino Auguis Jr., (Lumbay), Margarito Soriano (Ilaud),
Rodelio Balaba (Lundag), Samuel Dusal (San Carlos).

Angelito Balaba (Catagdaan), Timoteo Andub (Inaghuban), Flavio Bernaldez (Buenasuerte), Aniceto
Amper (San Isidro), Genaro Perenio (Estaca) and Arthur Ente (Poblacion).

Getting fresh mandates however were Mauricio Bitancor (Aurora), Tirso Albit (Bayong), Alfredo
Daguplo (Bagacay), Nicomedes Lusica (San Vicente), Carlos Cagape (Cansungay).

Gabriel Lusica (Bagumbayan), Legorio Ruperez (La Suerte), Jonas Suson (Cagawasan), Celestino
Jamil (Rizal) and Lilia Butron (Del Pilar).

Pilar has remained among Bohol’s towns with the most poverty incidence, one that has caught the
attention of Capitol Officials who brought in along with the Provincial Peace and Order Council’s
Civac, the HEAT Caravan.

Also seen as a town with huge potential for agro-industry, Pilar has caused District representative
Artur Yap to scour government resources to build a rice processing complex that aims to reduce
production losses in Bohol’s most potential town for rice production.

Hosting the region’s biggest man-made body of water, the Pilar Dam has the potential to irrigate
around 5,000 hectares of prime rice fields in nearly its 21 barangays. (racPIABohol)

Delayed paraphernalia delivery noted in Bohol

Many of Bohol polling prescincts fail to open up on time as election paraphernalia arrived late and
some of these election materials were still apparently en route from the city as of 8:00 AM.

This even as Commission on Election (Comelec) in Manila reportedly completed the delivery of
election paraphernalia as early as 2:00 PM of October 24, 2010.

In Bohol, many of such materials however arrived this 4:00 AM on election day, and apparently
couldn’t make it in time for the supposed simultaneous poll opening at 7:00 AM.

Bohol Comelec Supervisor Eliseo Labaria, in radio intervies confirmed earlier monitoring reports that
polls in some areas may be delayed.

Media reported that poll officials were still gathered at the municipal hall in several towns as late as
6:00 AM to pick their poll paraphernalia.

With the arrival of poll materials at 4:00, Labaria added that these have to be sent to the sent to the
different towns as immediately as they can.

In a radio interview at around 6:00 AM, Atty Labaria said that there were instances where some
election paraphernalia inluding supplies were already delivered but the ballots were delivered in
batches and some of them were delayed.

According to Malou Cempron of the local provincial COMELEC, the materials that arrived at 4:00 PM
were the latest of the batch which would be used duirng the local polls.

She added that the Bohol Comelec office prepared vehicles to dispatch the remaining paraphernalia
to the towns at 4:00 am so the polls could open as scheduled. She however could not discount that
fact that the materials may still be enroute as several poll centers open at 7:00.

Meanwhile, Atty Labaria added that all polling precincts that fail to start on time can extend up to
5:00 PM, to make up for the lost time. (PIABOhol)

“Contrasenyas” nullifies ballots

BALLOTS deliberately marked for purposes of countersigns (contrasenyas) can be considered null and
void.

On this, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Bohol warns vote buyers and voters trooping to
the polls in Bohol’s 1109 barangays on Monday against wasting their votes on scrupulous practices
that challenge the integrity of elections.

In the country known for its fraudulent manual polls, candidates instruct their “paid” voters to strictly
follow markers so that the buyers can track specific votes read during canvassing from his materlist
of assigned countersigns.

Marked ballots, or as the Board of Election Tellers (BET) agree that it is deliberately put by the voter
for idetification purposes it make the ballot null and void.

Provincial Election supervisor Atty Eliseo Labaria, citing the General Instructions for BET and
Barangay Board of Canvassers in connection with the 2010 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
elections also reiterated this.

The ruling is to prevent voters from putting up the “contrasenyas” or a practice of deliberately
marking ballots in manual elections to assure the candidates that the votes read belongs to a voter
he has bribed, explains a teacher who used to be a BET member in the past manual polls.

These marks however do not include commas, dots, lines or hyphens, accidental flourishes, strokes
or strains in a ballot, rule 22 of section 211 of the Omnibus Election Code.

While it may be considered that a typical writer’s mistakes can be manifest in the ballot, clearly
marking them would invalidate the whole ballot, not just the vote in favor of the name of the
candidate, a recap from the general instructions show.

The BET however should decide and agree if the marks are such to be considered strong enough to
be considered rejected.

The cardinal rule however is to consider the ballot valid and in favor of the voter, but the Comelec
has allowed the BET independence in the ballot appreciation, Comelec Genereal Instructions said.

According to the rules, names of candidates printed and pasted on a blank space of the ballot or
affixed there on a mechanical process would also be deemed null and void.

This would then render the whole ballot null and void. (PIABohol)

23 barangays sa Bohol gibutang sa Comelec watchlist

Tagbilaran City, Bohol – Mikabat sa 23 ka mga barangay sa Bohol ang gibutang sa Election
Watchlist sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) ug sa Philippine National Police (PNP)
tungod sa mga bayolenteng panghitabo sa mga nangaging piniliay.

Matud pa ni Comelec 7 Acting Director Veronico Petalcorin, ang pagbutang sa maong mga
barangay ubos sa watchlist nagpasabot nga dunay dugang ipakatap nga mga tropa aron
pagseguro sa kahapsay ug kalinaw atol sa umaabot nga eleksyon aron manalipod sa mga
katawhan ug sa mga botos niini.

Adunay 33,484 ka mga kandidato ang gitugotan sa Comelec, Bohol nga magpapili sa
umaabot nga barangay ug Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) eleksyon karong Oktubre 25.

Ang 23 ka mga barangay sa Bohol apil sa 209 ka mga barangay sa tibuok Central Visayas
nga gibutang sa Comelec watchlist diin 22 niini ka barangays ang sa Cebu, samtang 157 sa
Negros Oriental ug 7 sa Siquijor. (PIA)

11 Ka barangay sa Bohol gipaubos sa PNP watchlist

GIBUTYAG ni Bohol Provincial Police Director Senior Supt. Constantino Barot Jr. nga 11 ka mga barangay sa unom ka lungsod sa probinsya sa Bohol ang gipaubos sa PNP watchlist kon area of concern sa kapolisan sa pagsugod sa kampanya sa Barangay ug Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) karong adlawa.

Atol sa Talakayan sa Isyong Pulis didto sa Kampo Dagohoy niadtong Miyerkoles, si Barot nagkanayon nga ang maong mga barangay naglakip sa Poblacion Sur sa lungsod sa Clarin; barangay Pandanon ug barangay Taytay sa lungsod sa Getafe; barangay Popoo ug barangay Canmangaw sa lungsod sa Pres. Garcia; Poblacion Occidental, barangay Canmanico ug barangay Cansibaw sa lungsod sa Valencia; barangay Kabasakan, barangay San Roque, barangay San Antonio, barangay San Vicente Sur sa lungsod sa Sagbayan; ug usa ka barangay sa Candijay.

Niingon si Barot nga gipaubos nila ang maong mga barangay sa ilang watchlist sigun sa mga rekomendasyon sa mga hepe sa unom ka lungsod basi sa nangagi nga piniliay nga may natala nga kagubot.

Matud pa ni Barot nga dili pa hotspot ang maong mga dapit apan padayon ang ilang pag monitor sa maong mga barangay hangtud sa adlaw sa piniliay sa Oktubre 25. (PIA-Bohol)