Thursday, May 24, 2007 Some poll workers failed to submit ERs, got pay twice
OVER a week after the elections and four days after all of Cebu City’s winning candidates were proclaimed last Sunday, there are still members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) who have yet to submit election returns intended for the Board of Canvassers.
They will have to explain before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) why they should not be given sanctions, which will include withholding the second half of their P3,000 elections honoraria.
That is aside from possible administrative and criminal complaints if they fail to justify their lapses, said Cebu City Election Officer Marchel Sarno.
He assured, though, that nothing irregular happened during the canvassing, as they just used the election return (ER) copies in the ballot boxes.
“All the ERs that were counted were authentic copies from the ballot boxes for the commission,” he said.
Sarno said his office is already transcribing the minutes of the canvassing to determine which polling precinct BEIs failed to submit the ERs for the BOC.
It was discovered during the canvassing at the Ecotech in Sudlon, Barangay Lahug that some of the canvassers’ ER copies were not submitted along with the ballots.
Also, Sarno said the second half of the honoraria of the 7,000 Cebu City BEI members is delayed because there were those who received the first half twice.
The City Treasurer’s Office released P1,500 for each of the BEI members last May 13, but it was discovered that there were those who already got P3,000.
The other P1,500 is supposed to be given only after the BEIs have submitted all required documents, which should include the BOC’s ER copies.
City Treasurer’s Office Chief Tessie Camarillo, in an interview, told Sun.Star the anomaly was discovered after one of her staff members noted that one person, who was about to get her P1,500, had already received the amount earlier.
“Na-familiar na man sa akong staff maong wala kadayon og kobra (My staffer recognized this person and refused to release the amount),” she said.
She was not sure, though, if those who already got P3,000 were teachers or the third member of each BEI.
She said her office is doing its best to counter-check the records of those who received their honoraria with that of the appointment list the Comelec prepared.
And it will be Sarno who will order the release of the second half of the honoraria.
The City Treasurer’s Office’s instruction in releasing the honoraria was that only the first half would be given and that each BEI member should present a photocopy of their Comelec appointment certificate.
But it was discovered that there were those who photocopied their certificate twice to collect two times that day, so it was decided that only the chairman would get the honoraria for each precinct’s BEI members by showing the original certificate.
Sarno said there were reports that some chairpersons also failed to or got delayed in handing the honoraria of his or her members.
Aside from missing BOC ER copies, Sarno said they also noted “formal defects” like missing thumb marks and other entries.
But unlike “material defects,” he said, they were not enough to render the ERs invalid. (RHM)
