Comelec: Reports of shaded ballots ahead of BARMM polls false

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has dismissed reports of volunteers allegedly shading ballots ahead of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls scheduled on Sept. 14.

Comelec’s clarification on Friday followed a post by the Facebook page Mapag Matyag, which claimed that municipal employees or teachers in BARMM had shaded ballots three days before the region’s historic polls.

READ: Ballot boxes, other preparations all set for Sept. 14 BARMM polls

The poll body assured the public that the ballots are secured in the respective offices of the municipal or city treasurer of five provinces in the region, noting that the ballot boxes are vacuum-sealed and will only be opened on the day of the polls.

“It is the duty of the Election Office and/or the Treasurer of each municipality or city to inspect these items after the public, political parties, candidates, and citizens’ arms have been notified, in order to ensure that the ballots arrived securely and that the quantities and labels are correct,” Comelec said.

The poll body also addressed concerns about a major power outage across BARMM that may occur on election day. It assured that the batteries of the Automated Counting Machine can last more than 14 hours.

It urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified information and to rely only on official announcements released by the Comelec and concerned agencies regarding the BARMM elections.

“Any issue found with the delivered ballots must be immediately reported to the Command Center at the Alnor Hotel and Convention Center, Cotabato City,” it said. /mcm