PEACEFUL POLLS. Voters wait for their turn to be allowed inside the clustered precinct at the San Nicolas Elementary School in Cebu City on Monday (May 9, 2022). Police Regional Office-7 deputy director for operations Col. Noel Flores said the conduct of the national and local elections in Central Visayas has been generally peaceful, although there were some incidents as well as malfunctioned vote counting machines. (PNA photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU CITY – The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) on Monday said the conduct of the national and local elections in Central Visayas was generally peaceful.
Col. Noel Flores, PRO-7 deputy director for operations, said in a briefing that while the police personnel on the ground reported minor disruptions in the polling centers due to malfunctioned vote counting machines (VCM) and some incidents in a number of areas, these did not disrupt the general conduct of the elections.
“As of now, based on the reports on our personnel on the ground, we have delivered the VCMs. Along the way of the voting, there are unfortunate events in the voting due to malfunctioned VCMs,” Flores said.
He said the police reported 84 malfunctioned VCMs in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Cebu province, Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Lapu-Lapu City.
Of this number, 51 machines were repaired by the Commission on Election-established technical hubs.
Nine of the VCMs were replaced but the police are still waiting for the feedback about the 13 other machines sent for repair.
Flores said there were incidents that are now under investigation to determine if they were related to the elections.
Among these was the shooting incident in a village on Olango Island that left a councilman dead and a strafing incident in Barangay Panadtaran of Cebu’s southern town of San Fernando.
Meanwhile, former Panglao, Bohol mayor Torinio Bon was arrested after being tagged as the cause of a commotion in Barangay Tangnan.
Investigators are now preparing charges against Bon for direct assault, resistance, and disobedience to the agent of person in authority for allegedly creating commotion while voting was ongoing early Monday morning.
The Panglao police record showed that the former mayor shouted at authorities and pointed a finger at them, accusing them of inaction over some alleged irregularities.
The police advised Bon to report to the police station if he had complaints but allegedly displayed aggressive behavior despite repeated requests to calm down.
The police report said a councilor and a lawyer will also face obstruction of justice charges for helping the former mayor avoid arrest. (PNA)
