CEBU, Philippines - The 49 ballot boxes from San Fernando town arrived yesterday morning at the sala of Judge Ramon Daomilas of the Regional Trial Court Branch 11 following the request for a recount by San Fernando incumbent Mayor Lakambini Reluya.
Reluya filed an election protest after she was defeated by mayor-elect Antonio Canoy with over 1,000 votes during the May 10 election.
Reluya said in later reports that in San Fernando there were six precincts that allegedly had irregularities and she wants to clarify this.
She added that the ballots should be recounted manually.
The ballots will be authenticated from June 17 to 21 by the Commission on Elections via bar code and ultra violet rays to determine if the ballots are genuine.
Two of the ballot boxes were without the Comelec seal, but Comelec San Fernando representative Fatima Monsato said these seals may be in the ballot boxes or with the election paraphernalia.
The ballot boxes were brought from San Fernando on four military trucks guarded by representatives of the camps of Reluya and Canoy. Also present was a representative of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting under the Cebu–Citizens’ Involvement Maturation People Empowerment and Liberation.
The trucks were escorted by 20 members of the Regional Public Safety Batallion-7 together with Inspectors Peter Harsel Billido and Carlos Reyes of the San Fernando police.
Reyes said that around 9 a.m. in the morning they started loading the ballot boxes to the truck and arrived in the court at around 10:50 a.m.
The lawyers of both camps, Atty. Joe Vinson Empacis for Canoy and Atty. Ariel Cundat for Reluya, were also there to observe the proceedings. — THE FREEMAN