MANILA, Philippines - Two alleged members of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) were detained yesterday after they introduced themselves as representatives of the Commission of Elections (Comelec) in order to take away the ballots of several voters in Sampaloc, Manila.
“That is an election offense. An outright violation of the Omnibus Election Code,†Sampaloc election officer Liza Torres told The STAR.
Rosalie Larosa and Sharmaine Briones were held in a police precinct until yesterday’s voting ended, Torres said.
Torres said her office received a complaint yesterday morning that two women were confiscating ballots from several voters in Magsaysay High School in Barangay 452.
“They took the ballots before the voters could cast them. No one dared to question them because they introduced themselves as Comelec representatives,†she said.
Alarmed by the report, Torres sent her men to the school. When confronted, Larosa and Briones allegedly changed their tune and introduced themselves as poll watchers for Balikatan People’s Alliance (BPA), an alleged accredited member of Comelec’s One Vote.
“The women claimed they were just looking at the numbers on the ballots. The only number on the ballots is the serial number. The only ones authorized to handle the ballots are the voters and the members of the board of election trustees,†Torres said.
Torres said she immediately asked the police to take the two women in custody. However, a certain Roy Almuete allegedly intervened.
“Almuete is a husband of one of the candidates,†said Torres.
What surprised Torres further, she said, were two separate phone calls made by Almuete’s wife and Louie Balbago, convenor of BPA. Both Almuete’s wife and Balbago allegedly insisted that the two were just volunteer members of the PPCRV.
Torres said she will meet with Ric Galang, PPCRV’s coordinator in Sampaloc, after the elections to raise her concern.