Peaceful special elections seen in 12 North Cotabato villages

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines – Voters are optimistic that the policemen tapped to administer the Nov. 8 special elections in 12 villages in Pikit town can efficiently perform their duties being outsiders virtually unknown to all the candidates.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) tapped 153 policemen to serve as election tellers in the 12 barangays, which failed to hold elections last Oct. 28 due to security issues and misunderstandings on the designated venues for the balloting.

Lawyer Duque Kadatuan, provincial election supervisor, has relieved Pikit’s election officer, Joel Celis, for his failure to address the problems that led to the poll postponement in the 12 barangays.

Local officials said barangay folk are confident the Nov. 8 special elections would push through as scheduled.

Kadatuan said the policemen serving as election tellers would undergo extensive orientation on how to administer the polls.

Kadatuan said the policemen are coming from outside Pikit, which is in the first district of the province, to allay doubts on their neutrality.

Celis and his subordinates are now undergoing investigation for attempting to cluster last Oct. 28 in the Pikit town proper all the voting sites in the 12 barangays despite opposition from the voters and local officials.