Voters search for their precincts at the Vicente Hizon Sr. Elementary School in Davao City during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Monday, 30 October 2023. MindaNews Photo
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 30 October) – The conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in the Davao Region on Monday was “generally peaceful,” a police official said.
Major Catherine dela Rey, Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-Davao) spokesperson, told MindaNews that there had been no reported election-related violence across the region.
The polling centers simultaneously opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 3 p.m.
“After the casting of votes ended, the electoral process in the Davao Region was generally peaceful, without any election-related untoward incident,” she said.
She said there were around 7,500 uniformed personnel deployed to the different barangays across the region to secure the schools and the voters.
Capt. Hazel Tuazon, spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office, said that based on assessment, the BSKE across the 182 barangays in the city was likewise “peaceful and normal,” with no election-related incidents reported at its 265 voting centers.
In a data released by Comelec-Davao on September 4, a total of 47,637 aspirants from across the 1,162 barangays of Davao Region filed certificates of candidacies from August 28 to September 2.
Of this figure there were 2,932 candidates for punong barangay, 25,587 for seats in Sangguniang Barangay, 3,050 for the position of Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) chairperson, and 16,068 for SK members.
The Comelec-Davao recorded a total of 9,519 official candidates in Davao de Oro, 10,030 in Davao del Norte, 8,030 in Davao City, 9,239 in Davao del Sur, 3,568 in Davao Occidental, and 7,251 in Davao Oriental.
A liquor ban was also strictly enforced in the Davao region from October 29 to 30 pursuant to Comelec Resolution 10924, which prohibits the “sale, purchase, serving, and consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places.”
“The primary purpose of the liquor ban during elections is to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. By preventing incidents of violence, vote-buying, and undue influence related to alcohol consumption, the government aims to create a peaceful and fair environment for voters to express their choices,” a statement issued by PRO-Davao said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
