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Same problems hound national and barangay elections


The magnitude and conduct of the national elections may be vastly different from the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections but the same problems hounded them: overcrowding in polling centers, vote-buying, violence, among others. Various GMA News reports cited these problems in both the May 10 polls and the October 25 barangay (village) and SK (youth council) polls:

  • missing names on voters' lists;
  • confusion between individual and clustered precincts;
  • last-minute campaigning by supporters of candidates;
  • overcrowding in polling centers;
  • low voter turnout;
  • ballot-snatching;
  • vote-buying, and
  • violence. President Benigno Simeon Aquino III himself also expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in the delivery of election paraphernalia to various areas across the country. Perennial problems The number of election-related violent incidents climbed to 47, said a report by radio dzBB's Benjie Liwanag. GMA News' Steve Dailisan reported that at the Eulogio Rodriguez Elementary School in Mandaluyong City, voter Kate Dizon was shocked to find out that someone else had voted using her name. Meanwhile, GMA News broadcast journalist Kara David reported that election volunteers in Payatas, Quezon City set up laptops to help voters locate their precincts. Still, many voters complained they cannot find their names on the voters' list. The canvassing of votes in Payatas will also be held at the Quezon City Hall because public school teachers manning the polls fear that violence might erupt if the counting of votes will be held at the Payatas area. The report quoted an election clerk as saying it was hard to identify fake voters because the Commission on Elections (Comelec) did not provide a "Book of Voters" which contained the voters' photos. A Mindanao-based citizens group also reported about election violence in Maguindanao although no one has been reported injured yet. The Citizens Coalition for ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) Electoral Reform (Citizens CARE) said 11 out of 36 municipalities in Maguindanao have had “disorderly elections." The Citizens Coalition for ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao) Electoral Reform (Citizens CARE) also said 11 out of 36 municipalities in Maguindanao are now facing “disorderly elections." The Comelec has placed 2,301 of the country’s total 42,025 barangays on a watchlist, and a third of these barangays — 768 villages (or 33 percent) — are in the ARMM. Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmieno said the ballot-snatching incidents were reported in Mindanao in southern Philippines. Low voter turnout If some polling centers were overcrowded, low voter turnouts were reported in some areas. For example, of the 400 voters registered at the Barangay Bagumbayan in Taguig City, only 100 have cast their votes so far. GMA News' Bernadette Reyes also reported a low voter turnout in the Dasmariñas Village in Makati City. Residents in the upscale village could have opted to go on a vacation instead of voting, the report said. –VVP, GMANews.TV