Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Allow over 200 inmates to vote, Cebu City Jail requests courts
WHILE potential candidates head towards the Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices until tomorrow to file their certificates of candidacy (COC), the Cebu City Jail has asked the courts to allow at least 200 inmates to vote in the Oct. 29 elections.
Supt. Efren Nemeño said they are waiting for the courts to issue the order granting inmates the chance to vote during the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
These inmates were the ones who managed to register for the May 14, 2007 local and national elections.
Only 94, though, voted because of the lack of transportation from the jail (the then Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center) to the different polling precincts.
They were allowed to vote because their cases are still pending in court.
Nemeño said they took pains in having the inmates register and vote because of a Department of Interior and Local Government directive addressed to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
He said they have a pending request to have all eligible inmates register in Barangay Kalunasan, where the jail is, since they are actually living in the barangay while in incarceration.
2010 yet
“But I guess that would be implemented, if approved, by 2010 yet since the barangay and SK elections is just over a week away,” the warden said.
At the Cebu City Comelec, south district Elections Officer Edwin Cadungog reiterated their request for candidates to submit their forms early, instead of congregating in their office on Oct. 18, the last day for filing.
“After midnight, we will really close the book and mark it ‘nothing follows.’ Those who would not make it and try to ask for consideration will be disappointed. This has already happened. A candidate’s vehicle bogged down, so he came late. He went home with his shoulders drooping,” he said in Cebuano.
In the south district, a total of 518 COCs have so far been submitted, including that of incumbent Barangay Captains Eduardo Cabulao (Tisa), Romeo Ocarol (Pasil) and Lyndon Firmo (Cogon Pardo).
Tessie Mercado of the north district Comelec said over 500 aspirants have submitted their COCs.
They include Barangay Captains Jerome Lim (Sta. Cruz), Lorenzo Basamot (Cam-puthaw), and Celestino Abella (Kamagayan) and Jerry Guardo (Sambag I).
Mercado said several failed to include their drug test results and just promised to send them today or tomorrow.
The names of those who will not submit will be sent to Comelec Manila, which will publicize them.
North district Elections Officer Marchel Sarno, too, said that candidates should submit their COCs as soon as possible while his staff can still cope with the number of applicants.
Tomorrow, he said, candidates will likely have to spend a considerable time waiting for their turn.
Cadungog said that more and more candidates, including those for the SK, have filed their COCs starting last Monday.
He expects the number to grow today and significantly more tomorrow, the last day.
Ballot boxes and election returns were expected to arrive either last night or today.
Although there are many ballot boxes in their office, these cannot be used because they contain election returns that were among the subjects of Sen. Loren Legarda’s election protest in 2004, when she ran for vice president but lost. (RHM)
