THE Cebu City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) wants the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to have its own warehouse where ballot boxes can be stored when there’s no election.
This, as CTO found more ballot boxes used during the May 13 elections soaked in rainwater.
As CTO continued transferring the 592 ballot boxes to its warehouse yesterday, City Treasurer Emma Villarete said they discovered five more ballot boxes that have rainwater inside.
A few other ballot boxes were found to have been soaked in rainwater last Saturday yet.
All the ballot boxes have been placed at the Plaza Sugbu Grounds fronting the
legislative building of City Hall since the evening of May 13. They were protected only by collapsible tents.
Villarete said they are supposed to transfer the ballot boxes to the City Government-owned warehouse immediately after the elections, but their warehouse was still full by materials from City Hall.
Because of this, Villarete said they still have to clear up a huge area in their warehouse to accommodate the 592 ballot boxes.
She said they were only able to rent one container van to store the other materials that was previously placed at the warehouse.
“That’s why the ballot boxes are here for two weeks now. We don’t have a storage area.
It would really be better if Comelec has its own warehouse to keep the ballot boxes after elections,” Villarete said.
Sought for comment, south district election officer Ferdinand Gujilde said there is no prohibition from Comelec in getting a warehouse.
However, under the Omnibus Election Code, the one responsible in the safekeeping and storage of the ballot boxes is the treasurer’s office.