Commission on Election
Local News: Local Police, Army to Guard PCOS, Official Ballots
Local police, army Special Forces and Regional Public Safety Battalion are heavily guarding Precincts Count Optical Scan (PCOS) and official ballots in each Local Government Units (LGUs) here in Negros Occidental.
In Escalante City, one of the three hot spots identified by COMELEC for intense political rivalry is heavily guarded by local police headed by Supt. Jefferson T. Descallar, OIC police chief now stored at the city’s Treasurer Office after it arrives Thursday. Descallar said, they are guarding the perimeter round-the-clock or for 24 hours. In the difficult areas, Army Special Forces and RPSB police will augment them during the transport of PCOS and official ballots before and after the election on May 13.
Local News: Only 8 Mediamen Qualified for Absentee Voting: COMELEC
Out of 11 members of the media in Bacolod City, only 8 are eligible to cast their votes, having availed of the Local Abesentee Voting. Those who have not cast their votes can still do so during election day on May 13 in their precincts, and can vote for local candidates. Thus said Atty. Salud Milagros Villanueva, Acting Bacolod Election Officer.
The Local Absentee Voting from April 28 to 30 only includes national positions, meaning senator and partylist.
Local News: Silay COMELEC Conducts Final Briefing
The Commission on Election in Silay City has conducted the final briefing and giving of general instructions at Sen. Jose Locsin Cultural and Civic Center last April 26, 2013 for the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), who will be serving on May 13, 2013 election. Attorney Jose Meno Ruiz, acting election officer in Silay City, said that the final briefing included four sessions wherein 246 BEI signified their attendance plus their support staff.
Ruiz also said that the final testing and sealing of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines will be on May 10, 2013 at 9am. The machines will be delivered before May 10.
He confirmed that the Silay City PNP with the special action force has coordinated with his office and they will be visible in every voting center in the city to secure the PCOS machines and maintain the safety of every voter.
Local News: PRO 6 Confiscates 19 Hot Cars in WV
Nineteen hot cars in Western Visayas were confiscated and impounded by the Regional Highway Patrol Unit (RPHU) 6 of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6, as part of its intensified operations and implementation of R.A. 6539 (Anti-Carnapping Act of 1972).
No less than the PNP Chief Director General Alan LM Purisima, personally inspected the said hot cars during his visit at PRO 6 the other day at Camp Delgado, Iloilo City.
The 19 hot cars were found out to have tampered documents, chassis and engine number: 10 from Iloilo, 4 in Negros Occidental, 1 in Aklan, 1 in Capiz, and 3 in Bacolod City.
Supt. Thomas Frias, Jr., Chief, RHPU 6 said, aside from the anti-carnapping operation, RHPU 6 is also strictly implementing PD 96, which is the illegal installation of sirens and blinkers, and COMELEC Resolution No. 9561-A, the gun ban violation, relative to SAFE 2013.
Local News: Iloilo, Bacolod Cities Top WV Gun Ban Violators
Police Region 6 Office (PRO) 6 has reported that Iloilo City and Bacolod City are top among gun ban violations in Western Visayas.
PRO-6 Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, Jr. boasts of this accomplishment in the implementation of Comelec gun ban considering that 615 firearms were confiscated in various police operations, including the crackdown against loose guns.
Local News: Ex-Bacolod Councilor’s Appeal to Transfer Voter’s Registration to Salvador Benedicto Granted by RTC
The Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Negros Occ. has reversed an earlier ruling of the MTCC in Bacolod City with a new judgment granting the appeal of plaintiff-appellant Joe Max S. Ortiz a former Bacolod City Councilor, to transfer his voter’s registration to Don Salvador Benedicto town, a mountain resort 42 kms east of capital city, Bacolod.
Judge Epifanio S. Libutan, Jr., acting presiding judge of the 8th Judicial Region, RTC in his decision on the SK Bacolod alderman’s appeal, ordered the election registration board of DSB to include the name of petition-appellant in the permanent list of voters in Brgy. Kumaliskis, DSB, Negros Occ.
He also directed the election officer of Bacolod City to transmit the voter’s registration records of Ortiz to the election officer of DSB.
Local News: 980 PCOS Machines Arrive in Negros; Ballots on Monday
A total of 980 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines have arrived in Negros Occidental during the weekend, with more to come this week to complete the 2,043 expected PCOS machines, provincial election supervisor Wil Arceño said yesterday.
On the other hand, the ballot papers will arrive either on Sunday or Monday, he added.
The PCOS machines and the ballots will be stored in an undisclosed warehouse, with security guards, for safekeeping, and will be turned over to the respective city and municipal Treasurer’s Office as custodian of the said election paraphernalia, a few days before May 13, he said.
Each machine comes with its own final testing and sealing kit, Arceño said.
The final testing and sealing simulates the Election Day scenarios of feeding ballots to the machine and checking if it is counting and transmitting the correct results to the consolidation and canvassing system, he said.
The final testing and sealing of the PCOS machines will be conducted on May 10, he said.
Local News: Bacolod Comelec ‘Tic-Tac’ in Hot Water Again?
Negros Occidental Commission on Elections (Come-lec) Officer Atty. Will Arsenio differed yesterday, in a radio interview, from the P141, 550.00 funding request of Bacolod Comelec Officer Atty. Salud Milagros "Tic-Tac" Villanueva and endorsed the request of Senior Police Supt. Edgardo Ordaniel amounting to P1,788,200.00 to Mayor Evelio Leonardia thru the City Treasurer.
As election officer of Silay City in 2007, Villanueva was accused by Arturo Pabon, along with six others, of giving food and drinks to members of the Board of Election Inspectors on Election Day, May 14 until May 16, an act which allegedly constituted violation of Section 89 of Republic Act 881, or the Omnibus Election Code.
Local News: Comelec Urges Blocktimers to Observe Ethics on Air
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) here is appealing to radio blocktimers to develop self-discipline and follow the ethics in broadcasting.
Provincial Election Supervisor Wil Arceno of Negros Occidental issued the appeal following verbal complaints against blocktimers this election period.
Blocktimers are independent journalists hired by certain candidates to host their campaign programs over the radio or television.
Meanwhile, Arceno also reminded the local candidates that they only have 60 minutes to advertise in television and 90 minutes in radio.
Local News: 24 Gun Ban Violators Nabbed in Negros Occidental
Some 24 firearms have been recovered by police officers in Negros Occidental since the implementation of the nationwide gun ban last January 13, according to Police Chief Inspector Rico Santotome Jr, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO).
The latest to be arrested were Antonio Hervias, Romeo Magallo and Frederick Legada, added Santotome.
Hervias was collared by Talisay City Police Station personnel where one .38 caliber revolver was seized from his possession while a caliber 45 pistol was seized from Legada in Victorias City.
