Twin explosions rock Cotabato
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Mon, 13 May 2019 08:55:08 +0000
COTABATO CITY – Despite being rocked by two explosions outside the new city hall the night before, elections proceeded as scheduled Monday, according to the local police.
Cotabato City Police Office (CCPO) spokesperson Police Major Jude Marlon Del Carmen said that many voters trooped to the polling centers early. “After that blast, it has no effect for the voters, the casting of votes went normal, “ he said.
Del Carmen said investigation is under way for the identification of the suspects and its motive.
He said the investigators found 40mm fragmentation which is considered as high explosives.
Del Carmen they could not discount the possibility that the incident was intended to disrupt the conduct of election or destroy the election paraphernalia inside the City Hall.
He said the twin blasts did not result in casualties.
Except for a commotion caused by two poll watchers, Del Carmen said there were no untoward incidents.
However, Del Carmen said there were reports of Vote Counting Machines (VCM) malfunctions that were already addressed by the Commission on Election (Comelec).
Meanwhile, the Cotabato City Pilot Central School has experienced a delay of the opening of polls on Monday morning.
Assistant Principal Maria Luz Valentin said the teachers, who are members of the electoral board, arrived at 6:18 a.m. due to heavy rains.
Valentin said the rain forced the teachers to delay their departure in city hall to protect the book of voters in their possession.
After the teachers arrived in the school, they needed to claim the VCMs and other election paraphernalia before being brought to the designated classrooms.
Around 7 a.m., only few precincts inside the school started because of VCM malfunction.
Few minutes later, Valentin said the Comelec decided to start the poll through manual process.
Out of 21 VCM, only six were functional as technicians from the Comelec raced against time to fix the defective ones. (Armando Fenequito Jr.)