In Barangay Pasil 352 sought to be excluded from voters list

CEBU, Philippines - Over 300 individuals who registered with the Commission on Elections as residents of Barangay Pasil have been named respondents in a petition for exclusion filed by a barangay councilman and four others before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities.

Councilman Romeo Ocarol, Sr., Leopoldo Reyes, Sr., Luzviminda Acido, Gonzalo Reyes, and Raulino Fuentes through lawyer Roxanne Rhea Tirol said that these 352 individuals who registered as residents of Barangay Pasil are not actual residents of the barangay.

The petitioners claimed that these people came from different barangays and cities.

“None of the numerous private respondents herein were known to be actual residents of Barangay Pasil and which fact was later on verified by herein petitioners themselves at the Comelec. To prove this fact is the disputed new Voters’ List for the upcoming October 28, 2013 Barangay Elections,” reads part of the complaint.

Aside from 352 individuals, the petitioners also included south district election supervisor Atty. Edwin Cadungog and the Election Registration Board (ERB).

The petitioners alleged that the private respondents did not qualify to become registered voters for lack of the residency requirement but managed to register with the Comelec.

“The fact that herein private respondents are not actual residents of Barangay Pasil for a period of at least six months immediately preceding the forthcoming Barangay Elections on October 28, 2013 bars them from being registered and included in the Voters’ List in accordance with Section 4, of Resolution 9716 issued by the Comelec,” the petitioners said.

The petitioners asked the court to issue an order directing the public respondents to immediately exclude private respondents as duly registered voters of Barangay Pasil and expunge their names from Barangay Pasil’s Voters List of Registration. Moreover, petitioners alleged that during the registration period, July 22 to July 31, 2013, they were able to witness certain Babelito Paculaba and John Abas along with others, facilitated the ferrying of individuals (private respondents) to the Comelec office to register as new voters of Pasil.

In fact, these private respondents voted in the last May 13, 2013 elections in their barangays of origin.

“The fact that these numerous respondents did in fact managed to vote last May 13 at their respective barangays of origin could only mean that they were bonafide residents of said barangays as of May 13, 2013. At this point, it should be noted that only five months and 15 days separate between the period May 13, 2013 and October 28, 2013 (date of 2013 Barangay Elections),” the complaint reads.— (FREEMAN)