MOCK ELECTIONS. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) holds a mock election on Thursday afternoon (Oct. 26, 2023) to simulate the voting exercise in the province and city of Iloilo on Oct. 30. Comelec Provincial Election Supervisor, lawyer Reiner Layson, in an interview, said it is all systems go for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. (Photo courtesy of Hope Torrechante)
ILOILO CITY – Thirty aspirants for village chief in Iloilo City are just one vote away from being declared winners of the Oct. 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls, data from the Iloilo Commission on Elections (Comelec) showed.
In an interview, Election Assistant II Jonathan Sayno said 27 out of the 30 "are already unopposed after the closing of the filing of the COC (certificate of candidacy)", while three had opponents who withdrew later.
Sayno said while they only need one vote to win, their supporters are all encouraged to cast their votes to ensure their clear mandate.
Of the unopposed, 20 are incumbent barangay captains, he noted.
Meanwhile, Comelec Provincial Election Supervisor, lawyer Reiner Layson, said they are in the process of serving the order of cancellation of COC in one barangay here in line with a petition declaring the aspirant as a nuisance candidate.
“The effect would be an eventual disqualification for the position that is applied, which is the punong barangay,” he said.
On Friday, a send-off ceremony was held for over 600 uniformed personnel composed of 282 from the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), 80 from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), 100 from the 61st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, and 160 from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), complete with logistics.
They are responsible for securing 63 polling centers in Iloilo City.
In a press conference, ICPO Director Col. Joeresty Coronica said they also augmented the personnel assigned to Aklan, Antique, and Iloilo provinces as requested by the Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas).
Meanwhile, the Comelec on Thursday afternoon conducted a mock election to simulate the electoral process in the province and city of Iloilo on Monday.
“We are four days away from the elections, Commission on Elections province of Iloilo and city of Iloilo declare that we are all systems go. We are only praying for fair weather on Monday so our electoral board members and voters won’t have difficulty going to voting centers and in the deployment of our election forms, supplies, and paraphernalia, especially in island barangays,” Layson said. (PNA)
