ER’s used as table cloth among many irregularities in Lanao polls

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur – Election watchdog Kontra Daya said it is “impossible” and “incredible” for Team Unity candidates to win 12-0 in the Lanao del Sur special polls.

Kontra Daya sent a team to observe the special polls in this province.

In precinct number 0010-A, the counting area in one of the classrooms in Amai Pak Pak Central Elementary School in this city where votes for Barangay Kadigilan, Lumbayanage town in Lanao del Sur province were being counted, the ballots did not contain votes for senators. With this predicament, the BEIs and poll watchers decided to place the tally sheets for national positions at the back of the classroom. Later, the tally sheets were used as table cloth.

In some other precincts, the BEIs deliberately did not read votes cast for some senatorial candidates. In other precincts were BEIs read the votes for senators, tally sheets showed that Genuine Opposition (GO) candidates Loren Legarda, Chiz Escudero, Koko Pimentel and Antonio Trillanes were leading the senatorial race. The only TU candidate who got as many votes as the GO candidates was Jamalul T. Kiram, a sultanate from the island-province of Sulu.

Emmi de Jesus, Kontra Daya spokesperson for its Lanao del Sur special elections team, said this is also a “cause of alarm” as the empty tally sheets “might be used to pad votes for TU candidates who are tailing the senatorial race.”

“This practice, whether deliberate or not, is very susceptible to machinations by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other parties in interest,” de Jesus said.

De Jesus said their team also observed numerous irregularities in the conduct of the special polls here. In Masiu town, an hour ride from this city, de Jesus said they talked to voters who were not marked with indelible ink on their fingers after voting. When asked why, the voters casually told the Kontra Daya members, “para makaboto uli kami.” (to vote again)

There was also unreasonable and unexplained delay of the counting of votes in public schools in this city despite the presence of the BEIs and the poll watchers. In several counting areas, poll watchers were unreasonably barred from entering, de Jesus said.#