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Evangeline Basan, city election officer, said based on their monitoring, several members of the BETs reportedly withdrew for today's poll duty for still unknown reasons while some did not report to their assignments.
She said these problems were initially reported in barangays Morales, San Isidro and Sta. Cruz in this city.
In Barangay San Isidro, at least 180 registered voters failed to cast their votes after the assigned BET member did not show up.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in this city immediately assigned a replacement but the voting had yet to begin as of noon today.
"We assigned new BETs but we have problems on transportation but we assure everyone that they will be able to vote before the precincts will close at 3pm," she said.
Aside from the missing BETs, Basan said they also received complaints on the distribution of campaign materials inside the polling centers.
Basan said that in Barangay Zone 4, several volunteer watchers of a Sangguniang Kabataan candidate caught through a mobile phone camera a parent of a rival candidate wearing a tee-shirt printed with face of the candidate.
City Councilor Rose Dideles said she saw supporters of a candidate for barangay chairman in Barangay Zone II here distributing campaign leaflets inside the Osita Central Elementary School compound.
Dideles said she noticed the violation when she came to the polling center early this morning to cast her vote and visit the volunteer watchers of her husband Ceasar, who is running for barangay chair. (AllenV. Estabillo/MindaNews)
