COMPOSTELA VALLEY, May 17 (PIA): The special elections in Barangay Gabi in the Municipality of Compostela has pushed through today (May 17) as mandated by the Commission on Election (COMELEC) Resolution 9702.
Provincial election supervisor Atty. Jennifer Ancla explained that Brgy. Gabi has two clustered precincts but only the clustered precinct 22 situated in Gabi Elementary School is holding a special election to allow the 808 registered voters to cast their choice of leaders.
The said clustered precinct in Barangay Gabi failed to run the national and local elections on May 13 (last Monday) because ballots delivered had names allegedly of candidates in far-away Benguet Province in Luzon.
Compostela Municipal Information Officer Emm Obenieta said holding elections in Barangay Gabi is “crucial” to determine the winner between the two mayoral candidates who are racing too close to each other with only a difference of 94 votes.
With Information from the municipal COMELEC, Obenieta said as of 11:00 a.m., mayoral candidate Adolfo C. Ang got 17,429 votes, while Lema Bolo got 17,335 votes. Bolo is the wife of incumbent Mayor Jessie Bolo.
The Provincial Information Dissemination section (IDS) personnel Reynaldo Renoblas relayed his observation on how the special election started, saying the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) turned on the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) at exactly 6:49 a.m. to begin the election. The election started peacefully with police and army personnel guarding it.
However, police provincial director Senior Supt. Pancratius Camilo Cascolan has raised alarm over the deployment of supporters allegedly identified with mayoral candidate Ang to Baragay Gabi, citing this as “simple harassment” as this can somehow sow fear among residents.
Cascolan revealed that five Elf trucks of supporters identified with Ang were taken to Barangay Gabi yesterday at about 4:00 p.m.
Cascolan said they held a prayer rally in a short period of time at a Catholic chapel in the barangay and eventually went walking around the barangay. A few went inside the backyard of the house of the barangay captain, sat down but did nothing harm.
There were also those seen sitting outside houses of residents registered to vote in today’s special election.
The supporters were advised to keep themselves contained at the chapel at around 7:00 p.m. last night, but Cascolan said some were still moving around the barangay early in the morning today until about past 9:00 a.m. when police authorities again ordered them to stay at the chapel. (PIA XI/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan)
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