265 inmates in Sorsogon voted in today’s polls

By Marlon A. Loterte

SORSOGON CITY, May 13 (PIA) – Some 265 inmates in Sorsogon exerciserd their constitutional rights to vote in this year’s May polls.

Provincial Jail Warden Rufino Escote of Sorsogon said they have registered at least 308 inmate voters for the first time during the joint Comelec-Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) initiated special registration for detainees.

“Unfortunately, out of this number 47 were transferred to National Bilibid Prison (NBP). Of the 47, two inmates died already. However, four of them were freed by the NBP and went back to SPJ to vote today,” said Provincial Warden Escote.

He explained that the Comelec did not establish a special polling area inside the SPJ but instead they had the inmates fill-up the ballots and have them submitted at the nearest polling precinct which is the Sorsogon East Central School for counting.

Comelec Resolution No. 9371 allows those confined in jail, formally charged for any crime and awaiting or undergoing trial, serving a sentence of imprisonment for less than one year, and convicted of a crime involving disloyalty to the government such as rebellion, sedition, violation of the fire-arms laws or any crime against national security or for any other crime which is on appeal, to register and cast their votes for May 2013 polls. (BAR-PIA5/Sorsogon)


Bicol’s elections, generally peaceful and high voters’ turn out noted

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, May 13 (PIA) -- Most of the polling precincts in Bicol region have closed at 7:00 pm, today according to Comelec regional election director Atty. Romeo Fortes.

He however clarified that voters within 30 meter radius from the polling places yet to cast their votes will be allowed to do so provided that the BEIs have to identify them at closing time.

Fortes said that the delay of closing time, that may officially be until 9:00 pm, will depend on the assessment and decision of the BEIs based on the situation under their areas of jurisdictions.

Earlier today, some glitches in the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines delayed the voting in around 461 precincts while 2,615 voting precincts in Bicol or about 85 percent, started to accommodate voters on time.

The commission has accounted 43 PCOS machines reported to have malfunctioned yet were immediately fixed by technician authorized by Comelec in different parts of the Bicol region.

“This only comprised less than 1 percent of the total 4,488 PCOS machines deployed in the entire Bicol Region,” noted Fortes.

A common observation in the polling centers is the presence of long lines of voters waiting for their turn to vote and slow pace of casting of votes also contributed to the delay of closing time.

Fortes furthered that voters’ turnout in the region was estimated at 75 percent of the total 3,037,795 registered voters in Bicol.

Fortes has also asserted that the today’s election has been generally peaceful with no reported untoward incident from areas considered hot spots and areas of concerns, including Masbate. (MAL/SAA-PIA5/Albay)


PCOS breakdown should not cause delay in casting votes-COMELEC CamSur

By Analiza S. Macatangay

NAGA CITY, May 13 (PIA)--- In spite of the testing of the Precinct Count Optical Scan or PCOS machine weeks prior to the election, a number of machines in polling areas in Camarines Sur encountered glitches, hours before the start of the poll.

In Barangays Salvacion and San Vicente in the municipality of Ocampo, Camarines Sur, two (2) PCOS machines reportedly broke down. The same problem was also encountered at Don Mariano Elementary School located in Barangay Balatas, Naga City.

Naga City Central School 1, one of the biggest polling places in Naga City also experienced the same technical glitches. Dr. Teresita Irma Cy-Cok, school principal also confirmed reports that they have also experienced the same problem. She is hopeful though and takes the positive note that it would be fixed by the PCOS technicians and Board of Election supervisors who were trained to handle such situation.

PCOS machines stationed at Barangays Manapao, Baliuag Nuevo and Hamoraon all of Minalabac, Camarines Sur also malfunctioned, causing delay to some voters. Voters at Sta. Cruz in Iriga City also lined up for four (4) hours due to the PCOS breakdown.

COMELEC Camarines Sur Spokesperson Alex Marpuri in an interview said that the PCOS breakdown should not be a reason to delay the voters from casting their votes.

“We have contingency plans to counteract these problems and we have already instructed our BEIs, including the technicians to immediately report incidents like that to the national support system through their PCOS Supervisor. Election officers are also instructed to report the same occurences,” Marpuri added.

Marpuri also stated that the electorate can still cast their votes. The BEI should secure it at sealed ballot boxes and wait for the replacement to come. Should the replacement fail to be delivered on time, the BEI should wait for the nearest precinct with a functioning PCOS to finish and complete its task and borrow it to feed his precincts’ documents.

“When we conducted the final sealing and testing, all of these machines are working that is why I am really wondering that we are receiving reports like this. Although we have contingency PCOS in our provincial station, it would not be enough to replace the reported defective PCOS,” Marpuri said.

He encouraged the voters though to still cast their votes and assured that it will be counted before the day ends. (MAL/LSM-PIA5/Camarines Sur)


DOH-Bicol on white code alert for elections

By Mike de la Rama

LEGAZPI CITY, May 13 (PIA) -- The government health sector, along with all facilities in the Bicol region, are on white code alert in connection with the on-going mid-term elections.

Dr. Butch Rivera, Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH) chief, said medical personnel have been alerted to immediately respond to any election-related medical cases.

“We have standby personnel assigned in the emergency section who can immediately respond to patients coming from voting centers. The most common complaint, as expected, is hypertension due to weather condition,” Rivera said.

So far, as of 8 a.m. today, there were no reported cases of patients admitted in any hospital in relation to the conduct of elections, according to Rivera,

The Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health and Development regional office in Bicol earlier said health personnel had been deployed to assist in the conduct of election in terms of providing medical assistance.

Ambulances have been on stand-by status in strategic places to ensure the fastest and easiest transport of patients to the nearest hospital or health facility.

DOH, in a statement, has urged the public, especially the voters, to take plenty of water to prevent dehydration. (MDR-PGAlbay/PIA5)


Catanduanes congressional, gubernatorial bets withdraw

By Marlon A. Loterte

LEGAZPI CITY, May 13 (PIA) -- A night before the election, Atty. Leandro Verceles Jr., candidate for congressman in the lone district of Catanduanes, withdrew his candidacy.

In a phone interview Monday afternoon, engineer Abelardo Abundo, the candidate’s spokesperson, confirmed the withdrawal of Verceles’ candidacy as congressman

“It is very true, it was a personal decision by Verceles,” Abundo explained.

Verceles also noted in surveys that he was already falling behind incumbent Congressman Cesar Sarmiento, Abundo added.

He had served as two-time governor and three-term congressman.

Reacting to Verceles’ move Sarmiento said tt was unexpected.

“Hindi ko inaasahan (I did not expect it), all efforts done...a night-before-election withdrawal cannot be disseminated all over the province but still I am thankful and we can do more for Catanduanes,” he said, adding “maybe Leandro Verceles realized my efforts for the people of Catanduanes.”

Meanwhile, Larry S. Que, an independent candidate withdrew his candidacy for governor of Catanduanes on May 10, 2013 at around 4:45 pm

In his affidavit of withdrawal of candidacy, Que said that he filed his certificate of candidacy last October, 2012 thinking that he have enough budget for the campaign sorties but to no avail.

Affidavits of withdrawal of both individuals were approved by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) law department pursuant to Section 14 of Resolution No. 9518.

However, COMELEC stated that the name of both personalities were no longer deleted, removed or cancelled from the Official Ballots & Certified List of Candidates for today’s polls. (MAL/EAB-PIA5)