Despite Comelec explanation
The Commission on Elections will conduct a manual recount of the Dumaguete City votes, following the filing of an electoral protest by losing mayoralty bet Claudio “Dio” Remollo.
On May 22, the Comelec gave Mayor-elect Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria five days to answer the protest.
Manual counting of votes will be held in Manila.
Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Remollo said they will look into the situation whereby the number of votes cast exceeded the number of voters.
The protest was filed even as the Comelec had explained it as a “mislabeling error”.
The Diocesan Electoral Board in Dumaguete has acknowledged the official clarification of the Comelec on the supposed ballot count “discrepancy at a clustered precinct” during the May 12 polls, saying the matter has been resolved.
The DEB and its partner, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, acknowledged and affirmed “the official clarification issued by the Comelec and the PPCRV national headquarters in Manila regarding the earlier reported discrepancy in the number of ballots cast in a clustered precinct in barangay Calindagan,” according to a statement Monday.
On Tuesday, Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela, DEB convenor, said they sought clarification from the Comelec after receiving complaints regarding alleged ballot count discrepancy.
“The Comelec has the sole authority to explain this as it is their program but as election watchdogs, we had to be vigilant,” he said.
The controversy revolved around the number of ballots scanned by the automated counting machine, and the actual number of voters recorded.
The DEB noted that initial data released by the poll body showed that 956 ballots were cast, while only 814 voters were officially recorded, “prompting public concern.”
Comelec later explained it was a case of “mislabeling of data”.
The “956” figure referred to the total number of scanned ballots, including those that were rejected and re-inserted by the ACM.
Further, the Comelec said a single voter’s ballot may be scanned more than once, when rejected and re-inserted during the process.
PPCRV national spokesperson Ana de Villa-Singson gave the same explanation during a May 16 press briefing, the DEB said.
The Comelec has since corrected the figures, and the number of valid ballots now accurately matches the number of voters.
Following the resolution of the supposed discrepancy, the DEB called on the public to be circumspect in believing or sharing unverified and misleading information.
“We urge the public not to immediately believe or share misleading claims circulating on social media, especially when these are not verified by official sources. Let us remain vigilant and responsible, especially in the digital space, and rely only on trusted and authoritative updates from Comelec, PPCRV, and other accredited election watchdogs,” the DEB statement read.
Monsignor Heruela said the DEB will remain committed to promoting clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful elections “to uphold the truth, and strengthen our democracy in the spirit of transparency and the common good”. (With a report from Judy F. Partlow)
