by magnolia_eic | Oct 29, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
BALLOTS deliberately marked for purposes of countersigns (contrasenyas) can be considered null and
void.
On this, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Bohol warns vote buyers and voters trooping to
the polls in Bohol’s 1109 barangays on Monday against wasting their votes on scrupulous practices
that challenge the integrity of elections.
In the country known for its fraudulent manual polls, candidates instruct their “paid” voters to strictly
follow markers so that the buyers can track specific votes read during canvassing from his materlist
of assigned countersigns.
Marked ballots, or as the Board of Election Tellers (BET) agree that it is deliberately put by the voter
for idetification purposes it make the ballot null and void.
Provincial Election supervisor Atty Eliseo Labaria, citing the General Instructions for BET and
Barangay Board of Canvassers in connection with the 2010 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
elections also reiterated this.
The ruling is to prevent voters from putting up the “contrasenyas” or a practice of deliberately
marking ballots in manual elections to assure the candidates that the votes read belongs to a voter
he has bribed, explains a teacher who used to be a BET member in the past manual polls.
These marks however do not include commas, dots, lines or hyphens, accidental flourishes, strokes
or strains in a ballot, rule 22 of section 211 of the Omnibus Election Code.
While it may be considered that a typical writer’s mistakes can be manifest in the ballot, clearly
marking them would invalidate the whole ballot, not just the vote in favor of the name of the
candidate, a recap from the general instructions show.
The BET however should decide and agree if the marks are such to be considered strong enough to
be considered rejected.
The cardinal rule however is to consider the ballot valid and in favor of the voter, but the Comelec
has allowed the BET independence in the ballot appreciation, Comelec Genereal Instructions said.
According to the rules, names of candidates printed and pasted on a blank space of the ballot or
affixed there on a mechanical process would also be deemed null and void.
This would then render the whole ballot null and void. (PIABohol)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 29, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
TWO Bohol towns are P2 million pesos richer after the Department of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) rewards them for their good performance in governance.
The honor also goes to Bohol for being the only province with two town winners among the 15
innovative local government units in governance.
Obtaining for each, a seal of good housekeeping for local government units are Catigbian and
Balilihan towns.
Both are also reportedly included in the DILG’s first 100 days accomplishment report to President
Benigno Simeon Aquino.
Catigbian and Balililihan were last categorized as fourth class towns, or are among those whose
average income is less than P30 million.
The Bohol towns are among the 15 LGUs picked for this year’s awards, which also include Anilao
in Iloilo; Balete in Aklan; Clarin in Misamis Occidental; Damulog, in Bukidnon; Datu Paglas in
Maguindanao.
Leon B. Postigo of Zamboanga del Norte; Mobo of Masbate; Naawan of Misamis Oriental; Pitogo of
Quezon Province; San Agustin of Surigao del Sur; Santol of La Union; Sto. Domingo of Albay and
Tampilisan town of Zamboanga del Norte.
Earlier, the DILG put up the Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) to motivate local government units
further in their efforts to excel in governance.
Winners would be judged according to the Local Governance Performance Management System,
which has become a guide for LGUs to complete their state of local governance report and the state
of development report.
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo as cited in reports said 15 LGUs successfully obtained the seal of
good housekeeping – meaning they exhibited strong performance in key areas of governance – and
received P2 million each.
He said the seal of good housekeeping was completed and is currently used to identify LGUs
that exhibit strong performance in the key governance areas of planning, fiscal management,
transparency and accountability and value performance monitoring, he was quoted by Philstar.
Recently, Robredo again encouraged local government officials to disclose their local budget and
finances in an effort to promote greater accountability and transparency in their fund utilization and
financial transactions. (PIABohol)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 23, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
Tagbilaran City, Bohol – Mikabat sa 23 ka mga barangay sa Bohol ang gibutang sa Election
Watchlist sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) ug sa Philippine National Police (PNP)
tungod sa mga bayolenteng panghitabo sa mga nangaging piniliay.
Matud pa ni Comelec 7 Acting Director Veronico Petalcorin, ang pagbutang sa maong mga
barangay ubos sa watchlist nagpasabot nga dunay dugang ipakatap nga mga tropa aron
pagseguro sa kahapsay ug kalinaw atol sa umaabot nga eleksyon aron manalipod sa mga
katawhan ug sa mga botos niini.
Adunay 33,484 ka mga kandidato ang gitugotan sa Comelec, Bohol nga magpapili sa
umaabot nga barangay ug Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) eleksyon karong Oktubre 25.
Ang 23 ka mga barangay sa Bohol apil sa 209 ka mga barangay sa tibuok Central Visayas
nga gibutang sa Comelec watchlist diin 22 niini ka barangays ang sa Cebu, samtang 157 sa
Negros Oriental ug 7 sa Siquijor. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 17, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
TOWNS who have issued certifications of “no illegal numbers game” bear the burden of proof, hints
PSSupt. Constantino V. Barot during the recent Talakayan Sa Isyung Pulis (TSIP) held at Camp
Dagohoy.
Recently, the provincial police director has received certifications issued by at least 22 town leaders
who declared their towns “swertres free.”
Towns declared emancipated from illegal numbers game or swertres operations are Alburquerque,
Alicia, Balilihan, Batuan, Bien Unido, Buenavista, Calape, Clarin, Corella, Cortes, Dagohoy, Danao,
Duero, Garcia Hernandez, Jagna, Loay, Loboc, San Isidro, Sevilla, Sikatuna, Trinidad and Valencia.
The list also drew reactions from media present during the forum, as text messages reported by the
public continue to negate the absence of swertres as reported.
The Camp Dagohoy police chief said he is now organizing a team to monitor and validate the town’s
claims. If fund to out that there still are operations contrary to the certifications, the local police chief
would be in the hot seat, he assured.
He also urged the public to report directly to the police any information contrary to the claims of the
their town leaders. Police hotline is 0917 305 1833 or 0912-808-9279.
Barot also added that the PNP is mandated by higher authorities to implement the “One Strike
Policy.”
According to the police chief, by one strike policy, if elements of a higher unit operates on a town
and finds evidence contrary to the claims that illegal numbers game has been inexistent, it would
immediately cost the axing of the town’s police chief.
Of course, a different unit conducts the operations so as not to burn out local police assets and at
the same time keep the usual element of surprise in the swift operations whithout fear of operational
leakages, PSSupt. Barot explained to the media.
This too came as daily text barrage reaching media stations have gone to the level of naming alleged
financiers, coordinators and even their operations bases, many of which are calimed to be just a
stone throw away from police stations. (racPIABohol)
by magnolia_eic | Oct 17, 2010 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
LOCAL police authorities have issued warnings against people who own improvised “thinner” guns as
these are now considered deadly weapons.
At the recent Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis, PSInspector Ramoncillo Sawan said Camp Dagohoy has
started confiscating improvised polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe barrel guns using compressed gas and
toy marble as projectiles.
We have run tests with these improvides guns and we agree that with its capacity to get its marble
projectile through a 1.4 inch thick plywood placed at a specific distance could ve bery fatal to
humans, police inspector Sawan said.
Bohol Provincial Police Commander, Pssupt Constantino Barot added that his tests also confirmed
that the weapon is fatal as it could deal a substantial damage to a banana trunk, which he pointed
out, is denser than a human body.
Police authorities also shared that several people use the improvised gun to scare off cattle and
livestock straying into their personal properties, but in the proactive side of things, keeping these
guns off would be pre-emptive against future crimes.
In the election season and with the implementation of the gun ban, the same improvised thinner
guns are outlawed.
It’s a simple contraption, explains a police officer after the TSIP forum.
“All you need to to is store the right amount of gas in a collecting chamber, often a plastic bottle
container and put in a gas exhaust vent that you channel to the PVC barrel,” he explained.
It’s sometimes called “thinner gun” because many would use the highly volatile lacqueer
thinner or lighter fluid into the pressure container to produce the powerful compressed gas.
“With the gas collected in the container, all you need is a spark for the gas to ignite and push its way
into the barrel, releasing the pressure that pushes the marble at incredible speed off the tightfitted
barrel.”
A simple lighter igniter, which can be taken from a disposable lighter works as improvised gun igniter
which produced the spark to ignite the compressed gas and you have a boom, he said as he gingerly
showed the gun operation to the media.
When that ignition happen, the last thing you would want to be is at the wrong end of the barrel.
(racPIABohol)
