CAGAYAN DE ORO — The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms is set to open Monday all the compact flash cards (CFCs) recovered at a dumpsite in Cagayan de Oro days after the May 10 elections.

Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez (second district) said the opening of the CF cards to determine their contents, would provide “answers” on the allegations of widespread cheating in the city. Read rest of story

MANILA — The poll body is looking at employing members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to serve as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) for the special elections in Lanao del Sur on June 3.

In an 11-page resolution, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc said it will likely assign trainees of the police for the activity when teachers refused to serve. Read rest of story

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Defeated congressional candidate Jose Quiwa III clarified Saturday that he is not blaming the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) on alleged poll “irregularities.”

“I just want to clarify that we are not pointing fingers to our teachers who served as BEIs in the May 10 election in the third district, but rather we are questioning the reported systematic vote buying, vote padding and vote shaving allegedly committed by our political rival and his supporters,” Quiwa said. Read rest of story

MANILA — Canvassing of manually transmitted certificates of canvass for president and vice president may be completed by Tuesday.

Partial results of the official count as of 8:15 p.m. Tuesday showed the Liberal Party tandem of Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and Mar Roxas leading the presidential and vice presidential races, respectively. Read rest of story

MANILA — Actual canvassing for president and vice president at the House of Representatives started with the opening of the overseas absentee voters’ certificates of canvass (COC) from the Kingdom of Laos at 6:57 p.m. Thursday.

The joint canvassing committee of Congress sitting as National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) finally opened a ballot box after three days of relentless debates on technical aspects of the first-ever automated election. Read rest of story

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Third district Representative Aurelio Gonzales brushed off as a “loser’s privilege in a democracy” the protest case filed by a losing congressional candidate.

“In fact, I welcome his move, if only to give him the satisfaction that he needs for whatever it is worth, and for the vindication of the people whose reputation he has seriously damaged by his allegations of wrongdoing,” Gonzales said in a statement sent to Sun.Star. Read rest of story

DAVAO CITY — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) regional office released last Friday more than P15 million to pay the honorarium of the members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in Davao City.

Comelec Davao Regional Attorney Danilo Cullo, who also served as the City Board of Canvassers chairman, said a total of P15,118,800 has been distributed to the BEIs or public school teachers who served during the local elections. Read rest of story

DAVAO CITY — Davao City Councilor Ma. Belen Acosta attributed her loss to “massive vote-buying” initiated by Team Nograles against her candidacy before election day.

Acosta called her loss “a sad incident” but disclosed the first thing she did after the proclamation of Karlo Nograles as first district representative was to see whether she was cheated. Read rest of story

DAVAO CITY — Mayor-elect Sara Duterte dared rival Speaker Prospero Nograles Tuesday to also contest the victory of his son, Karlo Nograles, as first district representative following allegations of “massive cheating” in the May 10 polls.

Nograles, a defeated mayoralty candidate, filed Monday an election protest before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila seeking to nullify the proclamation of Duterte. Read rest of story

MANILA — The hearing on the controversial ballot secrecy folder Tuesday turned into a “shouting” match between a high ranking poll official and representatives of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer, and PPCRV’s Arwin Serrano and Melchor Magdamo engaged in a heated argument during the inquiry Tuesday. Read rest of story