Bangued, Abra voting center catches fire

A VOTING center in Bangued, Abra caught on fire at early dawn on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the main building of the Dangdangla Elementary School was destroyed by a fire that started around 3 a.m.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. 

Garcia said two buildings inside the school were unaffected and operational, which will be used as priority polling places and administrative, holding and storage areas.

“Given these, plus the clear instructions to erect a make-shift polling center based on the Continuity (Contingency) Plan, Elections will proceed as scheduled on May 12, 2025,” said Garcia.

Garcia said 992 voters are listed to vote at the said voting center.

He said final testing and sealing is expected to proceed Wednesday, May 7, at 2 p.m., or as soon as electricity is restored in the two unaffected rooms and the whole facility is declared safe by the Bureau of Fire Protection. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)