MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) intends to file a case against the perpetrators of the pre-shading that compromised the ballots in Maluso, Basilan.
Resolving the situation caused a delay the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections in the town.
According to Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia on Tuesday, the poll body has already identified the individuals behind the incident.
“Just wait for the Commission en banc to return to Manila, and we will immediately issue orders to start holding the culprits accountable,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.
READ: Comelec flags pre-shaded, compromised ballots in 36 Basilan precincts
The Comelec found that ballots in 36 of 68 precincts in Maluso town were already pre-shaded.
This discovery prompted the poll body to order the reprinting of over 16,000 ballots at the National Printing Office in Quezon City.
The new ballots were transported to Zamboanga, then from Zamboanga to Basilan.
The clean ballots arrived in Basilan around 9:30 p.m. on Monday.
The elections in Maluso resumed on Tuesday.
The poll body is preserving the 36 ballot boxes containing the tampered ballots as evidence.
“This is considered an electoral sabotage,” Garcia declared.
“And therefore, [this is] non-bailable, and it constitutes life imprisonment, perpetual disqualification to hold public office, aside from other cases they may face under the Omnibus Election Code,” he concluded.
READ: PNP says polls peaceful in most of BARMM despite ‘pockets of challenges’
Other incidents of violence, threats
Comelec will investigate these reports with the help of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity of the Philippines (OPAPRU), Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Garcia said that it is important to coordinate with OPAPRU due to the implication of the incidents on the region’s peace process.
“We will not allow anyone to commit any crimes in the elections, especially if some people sacrificed their lives while others are still hospitalized,” the poll chief said.
“We will not allow this to happen. Otherwise, they will do this again next time,” he added.
PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said that the elections “were peaceful and orderly in almost all parts of the region.”
His observation comes amid reported shootings, explosions and recovery of improvised explosive devices.
The PNP reported four fatalities and 20 injuries connected to the holding of the elections.
The Comelec on Monday placed Cotabato City under Comelec control after an explosion and a shooting occured in the city. /apl
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