Caloocan Comelec canvassing starts; Marines deployed

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) finally began the canvassing of official ballots in Caloocan City yesterday after a much-delayed election caused by the failed distribution of ballot boxes and election paraphernalia on May 14.

Election officer and chairman of the Board of Canvassers, Calixto Ramos, formally ordered the start of the canvassing shortly before 11 a.m. at the city hall’s Bulwagang Katipunan.

Marines were deployed to the city hall to ensure the security of the canvassing.

Elections in Caloocan are closely guarded with the hotly contested race for the mayoral post between re-electionist mayor Reynaldo Malonzo and Rep. Luis "Baby" Asistio.

Malonzo is a known supporter of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo while Asistio is a close ally of jailed former President Joseph Estrada.

The board decided to start the counting of votes from District 2, where 99 percent of the ballot boxes have been turned over. As of 10 a.m. yesterday, counting at the precinct level in District 1 was still going on.

Several precincts in District 1 began the elections late Tuesday afternoon after the ballot boxes and election paraphernalia from the Comelec main office arrived late. The Comelec declared an extended election in Caloocan last Monday after the City Treasurer’s Office, headed by Lourdes Jose, bungled the distribution of ballots boxes.

There are a total of 522,088 registered voters in Caloocan, with 1,756 precincts in District 1, and 1,071 precincts in District 2.

As if the delay in the elections was not enough, the canvassing of the election returns were also held up after legal counsels for both the People Power Coalition (PPC) and Puwersa ng Masa (PnM) expressed concern over security at the Bulwagang Katipunan Tuesday night. Lawyers Florin Estacio (PPC) and Ricardo Balmonte (PnM), took note of the several doors and open windows at the hall. Balmonte is also a counsel for Asistio’s elder brother, Macario Jr., who is eyeing the congressional seat in the first district.

Ramos ordered city administrator Mamerto Manahan to seal all the openings in the hall by 1 p.m. Wednesday as the election officer re-scheduled the canvassing for 2 p.m.

All the doors and windows in the hall were covered with wooden boards. Ramos, however, ordered that aside from the hall’s main entrance and the restrooms, all the other exit doors must remain open. Manahan expressed concern over the safety of the people inside the hall in case of emergency.