MATUGUINAO,
Samar, May 16 (PNA) –- The special election in this remote town on Saturday has
paved the way for the proclamation of winners.
Incumbent
Mayor Melissa Dela Cruz succeeded in her second re-election bid while her
sister, Carmel Dela Cruz, got elected as the town's vice mayor.
Melissa of
the Liberal Party received 2,479 votes while her rival Aran Boller of the
Nacionalista Party, obtained 1,829 votes. In the vice mayoralty race, Carmel
got 2,443 votes or 623 votes more than what her rival, Adong Florencio got.
Fully
secured by the police and military, the special elections in Nagpapacao
village, was peaceful and successful.
Matuguinao
is almost an hour single motorcycle ride from Samar’s main highway, passing
through a mix of paved and bumpy road. Nagpapacao village is more than two
hours hike from the town center, crossing rivers and mountain terrain.
According to
Leandro Nening, chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors, less voters
showed up to vote on Saturday than on the election day.
“Of the 285
registered voters, only 232 casted their votes on May 9, while on Saturday,
only 167 showed up,” Nening said.
The special
election started at 8:20 a.m. and ended up before noontime.
“The
residents were really afraid to what happened on the election day, they left
the village the following day, others are afraid to stay here, while others
have work to attend to,” said village chief Ronnie Bartula said.
The
Commission on Elections declared failure of election in the village after seven
bonnet-wearing men in camouflage stormed the precinct after the residents
casted their vote and shortly before the closure of the polling precinct.
The armed
men, believed to be private armies of a mayoralty candidate, burned the vote
counting machine, shaded ballots and other paraphernalia and burned them
outside the polling precinct.
The military
were patrolling in a nearby village when the incident took place.
JMC/SQM/JENNIFER SUMAGANG – ALLEGADO/EGR
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