DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/09 May) — Voting in rebel-infested Brgy. Manurigao in New Bataan town, Compostela Valley was delayed for at least three hours due to the late arrival of the Boards of Election Inspectors and the vote-counting machines.
Voting was suppose
d to start at 6 a.m. and end by 5 p.m.
In a press conference on Monday morning at the Philippine Information Agency XI, Major General Rafael C. Valencia, commander of the 10th Infantry Division said the BEIs and the VCMs were still on their way to the barangay.
He said voting there was expected to start between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m.
“The nearest road from where they are now is about three hours ago,” he said
New Bataan, with around 900 registered voters, was earlier placed under category 2 of the election watch-list due to the presence of the armed groups, he said.
Valencia said Tagum and Kapalong towns in Davao del Norte and Digos City and Malalag town in Davao del Sur were placed under category 1 due to the presence of intense political rivalry.
The areas under category 3 include Monkayo town, Compostela Valley due to political rivalry and the presence of armed groups.
Under category 2are 218 barangays in the region and some parts of Region 12, Valencia said.
The 10th ID covers the Davao Region and parts of Region 12.
The Commission on Elections in Davao Region requested the military to airlift the VCMs on Sunday.
Valencia said they had two sorties but failed to penetrate the barangay due to thick clouds.
“So we decided to go on foot. They were supposed to leave by 3 a.m. but they left at 5 a.m.,” he said..
“The area has presence of the New People’s Army but we have enough forces securing the road,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
