Barangay, SK candidates only allowed 2 watchers

Sun.Star: ZAMBOANGA CITY - An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) local office announced that each group of candidates in the forthcoming Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and Barangay elections are only entitled to two poll watchers. District I election officer Roy Cuevas said the existing election laws allows only two poll watchers from each of the contending groups to stay inside each of the voting precincts. Candidates in the barangay level usually form into groups even though the barangay election is a non-partisan political exercise. Cuevas reminded all of the candidates to submit early the names of their respective poll watchers for proper identification. He said poll watchers whose names were not registered with the Comelec will not be allowed to get inside the polling precincts on the day of the election. He added that the candidates should also indicate the amount they paid to the poll watchers in their respective reports of election expenditures. The poll official said the payment to the poll watchers will form part of the election expenditures of the candidates seeking elective posts in the schedule October 29 SK and barangay elections. The campaign period starts on Friday and will end on Friday of next week. - Sun.Star