Friday, October 26, 2007 Poll offices still lack thousands of ballots
WITH the possible shortage of election materials, polling precinct officers may have to share extra ballots with other precincts.
Comelec Manila, in a memorandum dated Oct. 24, allowed the different election officers and municipal treasurers to get three ballots for barangay officials from the different clustered precincts to be used by precincts, which may have run out of ballots.
For the Sangguniang Kabataan, poll officers are allowed to get one ballot from each clustered precincts.
However, some election officers said sharing of ballots will not solve the problem.
Borbon Election Officer Alex Villacrucis said there are barangays where precincts need thousands of ballots and getting three from other clustered precincts will not solve the shortage.
Each clustered precinct has an average of 200 voters and some towns need supplies for as many as 31 precincts like Toledo City.
These precincts would need around 6,200 ballots.
Daanbatayan town needs some 5,800 ballots with 29 precincts, while Lilo-an, Consolacion and Medellin need more than 3,000 ballots each.
Borbon, Minglanilla and San Francisco, on the other hand, need at least 2,000 ballots each.
Nello Maningo of Minglanilla also echoed Villacrucis observation and added that they also lack election returns (ER) forms, which could not be shared as each precinct has only one set of ERs.
As of yesterday, 31 towns and cities complained that they lack supplies for some precincts.
Election Assistant Boy Gonnie Neis said they already faxed to Comelec Manila their request for additional supplies yesterday.
Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano explained there was a shortage because the head office based the supplies they released on the figures of the May 14 elections.
But since there was a registration after the elections, the number of voters increased.
But Manila has already assured them they will be sending more supplies.
Castillano said the allocation of ballots for every precinct is always one for every voter, plus three.
He added that they do not expect a 100 percent turn out in every precinct.
Despite the problems, Castillano is confident the elections will go on smoothly. (MBG)
