Election Ballots, Paraphernalia Soak in Rainwater

The election protest filed against reelected Mayor Michael Rama and vice mayor-elect Edgardo Labella could be in jeopardy as thousands of ballots were discovered to have been soaked in rainwater while these were being stored in front of Cebu City Hall.

It was discovered when the personnel of the City Treasurers Office (CTO) transferred the 592 plastic ballot boxes into container vans and brought to the city’s rented warehouse allong M.C. Briones Street last Saturday and Sunday.

Although the ballot boxes were placed under collapsible tents in front of City Hall to protect them from the heat of the sun, several of them never escaped the rainwater following heavy downpours the past few days.

“Wala mabantayi nga ang tubig sa uwan nagbusagak diay sa masig ka utlanan sa atup sa gitupad nga mga tulda og kay duna may mga lungag ang ballot boxes mao nga nakasulod ang tubig,” a City Hall employee said.

South district Representative Tomas R. Osmeña, who filed an election protest against Rama before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila, said he hopes that those ballots did not get wet.

Osmeña’s runningmate, Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, also filed an election protest against Labella. Young is protesting the 184-vote lead that Labella got from all 80 barangays in the city. Osmeña is also contesting his loss to Rama, who won by 6,378 votes.

Team Rama lawyer Jocelyn Pesquera said Comelec officials “should act on it immediately to protect the ballots inside.”

But Comelec regional director Temie Lambino said he cannot comment about the incident unless he receives a report from City Treasurer Emma Villarete or from acting city election officer Ferdinand Gujilde.

Villarete did not know how many ballots were soaked in rainwater.

A ballot box containing the ballots and other election paraphernalia from Clustered Precinct 78 in Barangay Ermita was filled with rainwater.

“Unsaon pa man ana pag-ihap sa PCOS sa mga botos ni Joy Young nga nangabasa na man na,” a supporter of Team Rama said.

Gujilde said granting that those wet ballots could no longer be read using the PCOS machines, they can be counted manually if there is a need to recount the actual votes.

“Bisan pa og basa na ang balota makita man gihapon na kon kang kinsa nga ngalan sa mga kandidato nga gibutangan og marka sa mga botante… maihap ra gihapon kon adunay panginahanglan,” Gujilde said.

Every box contains about 1,000 ballots, but it was not immediately known how many boxes got filled with rainwater.

CTO personnel and the representatives of Team Rama and BOPK recorded the serial numbers of the Comelec seal on every box and as well as any unusual appearance of the ballot boxes.

The lock of one ballot box from Barangay Budlaan has already been destroyed when it was inspected yesterday.

“Wala ta kahibalo kon ang guba gi-reflect ba na sa minutes sa mga sakop sa Board of Election Inspectors kay ang documents anaa man sa sulod,” an CTO employee said.