Comelec seals disputed Taguig ballot boxes

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially sealed yesterday 217 ballot boxes that are the subjects of an election protest in Taguig City.

The green light was given by Comelec Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer on Sept. 28, according to the camp of defeated mayoral candidate Dante Tiñga.

The sealing was led by National Capital Region director Michael Dioneda and witnessed by the representatives of all the parties involved.

The sealing was supposed to be done on Sept. 16 but was blocked by Marianito Miranda, officer-in-charge of the city treasurer’s office, saying his office was not consulted.

Cayetano’s spokesman, Darwin Icay, meanwhile, reiterated their earlier allegations that the ballot boxes have already been “tampered with.”

He said during the sealing they noticed that some of the boxes were “either unsealed, improperly sealed, or without padlocks.” Comelec officials had to place masking tapes around the lid cover and opening of each ballot box during the sealing, he said.

On May 24, Tiñga asked the Comelec to conduct a manual count of 217 out of 370 ballot boxes. He alleged that the elections were rigged. Tiñga’s son, now Rep. Sigfrido Tiñga, was then the city mayor.

Cayetano, who won by a margin of 2,420, had contested her rival’s appeal. She was the only one to win in her ticket in the last elections.