Cordova’s Gabi to hold special elections today

Rafael Nolasco Jr., Cordova election officer and chairman of the board of canvassers, inspects one of the vote-counting machines to be used in Barangay Gabi’s special elections today. (CDN PHOTO/IZOBELLE PULGO)

A special elections will be held today at Gabi Elementary School in Cordova town to accommodate the remaining 436 voters who were not able to vote during last Monday’s elections due to ballot misprint.

Cordova election officer and chairman of the municipal board of canvassers (MBOC) Rafael Nolasco Jr. said that they have posted notices of the special elections at their office, at the barangay hall of Gabi, and at Gabi Elementary School to inform the affected voters.

He said that they also forwarded the notice to the local candidates to inform them about the special elections, as per the Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution.

The notice states that the special elections will start at 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the same classroom where cluster 33, composed of precincts 74a, 74b, 76a, and 76b, was assigned in Gabi Elementary School.

“Bisan pa og ibutang nato nga mahuman tanan og vote before five, dili gihapon ma-close kay naka-set man jud na sa general instructions nga 5 o’clock mo-close ang (board of election inspector) BEI,” he said.

The official ballots for the affected voters were delivered to the office of the municipal treasurer, Jaime Sumagang, at 9:09 a.m. yesterday.

Nolasco said that the BEIs will start setting up the vote-counting machine (VCM) and other election materials, including the official ballots, at Gabi Elementary School today at 5 a.m.

He clarified that the same VCM meant for cluster 33 will be used as it is only the misprinted ballots that have been replaced.

In observance of the special election, a liquor ban for Barangay Gabi is in effect today, starting at 12:01 a.m. until 11:59 p.m.

Senior Insp. Zosimo Jabas, Cordova police chief, said an augmentation force of 20 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) arrived yesterday to assist the town’s 22 police officers — 80 percent of whom will be sent to the field with the remaining 20 percent will man the police station.

Jabas said that the joint AFP and PNP forces will be deployed for security purposes and to ensure peace and order in the conduct of the special elections.

He also said that they will be escorting the delivery of the VCM and other election paraphernalia, together with the BEIs, from the Comelec’s office to Gabi Elementary School.

Jabas said that the same security preparations for last May 9 elections are in place for the special elections.

Jabas also emphasized that the liquor ban will strictly be implemented within the jurisdiction of Barangay Gabi.