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By PIA

A ranking Commission on Elections (COMELEC) official has volunteered to be a witness, should the poll body call for an investigation on alleged sabotage to disrupt the elections, at least in Tagbilaran City.
 
City Comelec registrar, Atty Ariel Selma said he would be a willing witness if only to prove that he has nothing to do with the allegations that would implicate the long questioned capability of the poll body to conduct the polls five months holding after national elections.
 
Last Monday, as early as 6:00 AM, reports have reached radio stations about the unusually delayed delivery of the remaining election paraphernalia, which were made available only at about 4:00 AM on the day of the elections.
 
Poll authorities in the precincts also share the same observation: the delayed delivery caused late start of the poll opening, or until the materials were withdrawn from their respective city or municipal election offices.
 
In Jagna town, reports said that at least a precinct opened when most precincts opening at 7:00 would be closing.
 
In Tagbilaran City, while most precincts opened by around 9:00, at lunchtime, several polling places have reportedly run-out of ballots.
 
According to Provincial Comelec Supervisor Atty Eliseo Labaria, the city needs 47,858 ballots but only about 39,244 of these arrived [from Manila].
 
Of these, 33,900 were included in the delivery’s first batch, he added that the city accordingly awaits for the 7,800 remaining ballots on the second batch of deliveries, which was expected at around 11 AM.

Because of this, many supporters of candidates accused the City Hall of sabotaging the elections by withholding ballots, one which the city government has vehemently denied.

In early morning radio interview, Atty. Selma said the office of the City Treasurer through has appraised him that the office is awaiting for the 7,800 ballots to be delivered to city precincts.
 
It turned out however that the Provincial Comelec through Atty Eliseo Labaria has found out that ballots at the CTO were awaiting for delivery by lunchtime.
 
Atty Labaria immediately ordered the speedy delivery of the same while his team roved around the precincts around 3:00 to collect extra ballots to be used in other ballot starved precincts.
 
In the meantime, polling have to be temporarily suspended in precincts without ballots, while Board of Election Tellers (BET) of concerned precincts allegedly announced polls to continue as soon as the remaining ballots are delivered.

The delay has ignited chaos in several precincts as tempers rose and impatient voters who were made to wait, went home.
 
Over the controversy, voters who were not able to vote demanded from the Comelec a probe to determine culpability.
 
Atty Eliseo Labaria has also hinted that an investigation would be called to answer questions as to who would be held responsible. (racPIABohol) 

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