Town official faces raps over missing padlocks

The provincial office of the Commission on Election has ordered the election officer of Tabogon town to file administrative charges against the municipal treasurer over the missing padlocks.

Comelec provincial supervisor Edwin Cadungog said that a prima facie case exists that would warrant the filing of an administrative case for gross negligence against municipal treasurer Edna Carla Arbuyes.

Cadungog has exonerated election officer Felix Sentillas of any liability over the missing padlocks because the custody belongs to the treasurer.

Cadungog however ordered Sentillas to file charges against Arbuyes before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas. According to Cadungog, Arbuyes' failure to inform the election officer when she transferred the ballot boxes to the public employment service office building constitutes gross negligence on her part.

He said that under the rule, Arbuyes should have notified Sentillas, the police, and representatives of the political parties before the transfer was facilitated to avoid suspicion.

But Sentillas in his explanation to Cadungog said that he was not informed about the transfer. Sentillas said the ballot boxes were originally placed in the treasurer's office. It came as a surprise to him when he learned of the padlocks in the other building was reported to be missing.

Sentillas also reported that aside from the 103 padlocks used in the ballot boxes in the last elections there were also 358 old padlocks missing. Sentillas said that a total of 661 padlocks were actually missing. - Fred P. Languido