NAGA CITY (Nov. 4) – The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections held last Monday was generally "peaceful" according to Commision on Elections Officer Atty. Maico Julia.
Atty. Julia disclosed that the local Comelec field office encountered few, if any, problems in the city during the elections. He said that majority of complaints directed to the Comelec were the "usual problems" like missing names in the voters' lists.
Several candidates also aired their complaints to the Comelec regarding the supposed illegal campaigning during the election day itself. Campaigning is prohibited a day before and during the election day. Other candidates also complained of their rival candidates' overspending and illegal posting of campaign materials in unauthorized areas.
However, the election officer said that they have not received any formal complaints and that most of the complaints were based on hearsay and rumors. Julia said that the Comelec will not and cannot act on mere rumors without the filing of formal complaints. Formal complaints must contain affidavits of the complainant and witnesses, and the complaint itself.
Aside from the usual grievances by candidates, the election day was also marred by power outages in barangays Tinago, Dayangdang, and Panicuason, prompting the Camarines Sur Electric Cooperative 2 (Casureco 2) to dispatch teams to the affected areas. Julia said that power was quickly restored to the barangays.
Julia also shared that there were no incidents of violence reported to their office by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Even so, he said that the PNP has yet to give the Comelec their report on the implementation of the gun ban imposed this election period.
The election officer said that their office is expecting more complaints from candidates but says that any complaints should be addressed to the courts for any protests or requests for recounts.
As a final thought, Julia appealed to candidates, winners or losers, to submit the list of their expenditures and contributions before Nov. 28. Winning candidates who have not submitted the said documents will not be allowed to take their oaths.