Special polls in Bulacan, Basilan, Lanao Sur reset anew

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided once more to postpone for more than a month the special elections in parts of Bulacan, Basilan and Lanao del Sur earlier scheduled for October 2. In a resolution signed on Tuesday, the poll body said the special elections in these provinces will be moved to November 13. The Comelec said the special elections were rescheduled because the contract submitted by poll machines supplier Smartmatic-TIM was only approved last week, “materially affecting the timelines for the preparatory activities for the October 2 elections." This was the second time the poll body decided to move the special elections in these areas, which were originally scheduled on September 25. Voters from Bulacan’s first district were not able to cast their votes last May 10 after the Supreme Court nullified the creation of a separate district for Malolos City. The congressional candidates from both Malolos City and the province’s first district—composed of Hagonoy, Calumpit, Pulilan, Bulacan and Paombong towns—will have to vie for a single post in the coming special polls. The candidates who were supposed to run for the congressional seat in Malolos City were Francisco Aniag (Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino), Francisco Cruz (independent), three-term Malolos City Mayor Danilo Domingo (Liberal Party), and Tomas Valencia (independent). On the other hand, the original candidates who were running in the first district were former Agrarian Reform secretary Roberto Pagdanganan (Nacionalista Party) and incumbent representative Marivic Sy-Alvarado (Lakas-Kampi). In several areas in the southern provinces of Basilan and Lanao del Sur, the Comelec declared a failure of elections last May 10 due to a number of violent incidents. Last June, special elections were already conducted in the first batch of areas in Lanao del Sur (seven towns) and Basilan (Al-Barka and Maluson towns). The Comelec tapped lawyers and police trainees in these special elections as teachers refused to sit as Board of Election Inspectors due to apparent danger in their lives. Some 80,000 voters are expected to cast their votes during the special elections. The Comelec has allocated around P21 million for it for the special polls. - KBK, GMANews.TV