BANGUED, Abra – With the exception of minor poll-related hitches, elections in the Cordillera generally went smoothly, a police official said on May 10.
In a statement, Police Regional Office Cordillera director B/Gen. Ronald Oliver Lee said no major election-related case was recorded in the region, “making it a peaceful and orderly election day.”
“With the combined efforts of the Philippine National Police, other government forces, and the community, the conduct of the election in all precincts in the region went smoothly,” he added.
PRO-Cor information officer Capt. Marnie Abellanida, in a phone interview, also said the elections were generally peaceful in the Cordillera.
“We did not record major incidents that affected the election since the start of voting so I can safely say that the result of the election is good,” he said.
He said the PNP continues to monitor the situation, especially with some of the municipal and provincial canvassing still ongoing.
He encouraged individuals who feel their rights have been violated during the conduct of the election to report their concerns to the proper authorities.
In Lagangilang, Abra, police arrested Marco Cagaid and Reymundo Almeda after they yielded a Gloc cal.40 firearm and a cal.45 pistol, respectively.
The two, who were charged with violation of the election gun ban, were identified as supporters of Lagangilang mayoral bet Antonio Viernes, who lost to incumbent Mayor Ruby Constantino.
Despite the incidents, Abra Election Officer Ricardo Lampac said the elections were peaceful and orderly despite “some isolated cases reported.”
He added the situation in Pilar, which was placed under Comelec control days before the elections, was managed properly by government security forces.
He said there were some glitches in the operation of the vote counting machines (VCMs) with their scanners unable to read the official ballots.
“We continued with the casting of votes and only fed the ballots after receiving the replacement VCM machines. There was no disruption of the voting process due to the VCM glitches,” Lampac said. – PNA
