Tuesday, May 08, 2007 Comelec explains late delivery of election paraphernalia By Grace L. Plata
THERE is no delay in the delivery of election paraphernalia to the city as the late delivery is done on purpose to eliminate speculations that the ballots and election returns have already been filled up prior to election day.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) 1 information officer Melcar Unso said this in an interview Monday.
Unso said storage problems encountered by the city is one factor that contributed to the decision to have the materials delivered later than it used to be in the past elections.
"During the 2004 elections, the forms were delivered during the first weeks of April and though there have been no cheating complaints in the region, we would like to place measures that will not give `interested' individuals any chance to tamper with the forms as will be made possible by long storage of these materials," Unso said.
With only six days left before Election Day, the City Treasurer's Office, serving as custodian of election paraphernalia have been working through the weekend to sort out the election materials for Davao City's 3,590 precincts.
City Treasurer Rodrigo Riola said out of the 37 election materials needed, four are still undelivered -- ballot boxes, ballots, election returns, and the indelible ink.
But Riola added that some election forms that have been delivered are lacking in number.
"The others are lacking, there are forms too that have been delivered by mistake because the serial numbers of the forms do not match the ones listed that we are supposed to receive," Riola said.
Riola, however, assured that his office will be doing its best to make sure that the materials are delivered to the board of election inspectors on of before May 13.
Unso, on the other hand, is confident that the Comelec and City Treasurer’s Office will be able to deliver the materials to all 3,590 precincts on time.
