MANILA, Philippines — The wife of a mayor reportedly ordered some people at Barurao Central Elementary School in Maguindanao del Sur to use the names of those who had yet to vote in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections on Monday, Sept. 14, to cast ballots for their allied candidates.
According to Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) spokesperson Ana Singson, one of the group’s volunteers reported the incident on Monday morning.
READ: BARMM polls: Election watchdog flags ‘multiple voting’ in Maguindanao
“They said the mayor’s wife’s people came in and took the voters list. They said the names of those who had not yet voted were taken so they could be used to cast ballots for their candidate,” Singson said in a briefing at the PPCRV command center in Makati City on Monday.
Singson did not identify the mayor or the mayor’s wife, citing the security of the volunteers on the ground.
But she noted that the PPCRV will file a complaint with the Commission on Elections regarding the incident at the precinct.
READ: PPCRV: Gunshots reported at Lanao del Sur precinct amid BARMM poll
Meanwhile, during the briefing, PPCRV’s BARMM regional coordinator, Father Dave Procalla, reported a suspected grenade explosion outside the compound of Nabundas Elementary School in Barangay Nabundas, Malidegao, Cotabato, at around 11:25 a.m.
Procalla said they were still investigating the motive but mentioned that supporters of BARMM candidates may have caused the explosion.
No casualties were reported in the incident. /das
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