Election roundup

PCOS final testing and sealing set today

The final testing and sealing of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in Cebu City will be done today.

Cebu City – south district Commission in Elections (Comelec) officer Ferdinand Gujilde said the testing and sealing of the PCOS machines will be simultaneously done in all of the 592 polling precincts throughout the city from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), PCOS technicians, watchers, media and ten voters are expected to attend and observe the testing. Gujilde said they already issued the notices to the participants last week.

The final testing and sealing of the PCOS is in line with a Comelec en banc resolution which says it should be done within seven days prior to election day. /Correspondent Santino S. Bunachita

Muslims support BO-PK

Leaders of the different Muslim communities in Cebu City yesterday gave their commitment to support south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña and the entire slate of the Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

Sultan Naif Punut, president of the Council of Elders for the Muslims in Central Visayas chairman of the Colon Traders Marketing Cooperative, said their group consisting of 18 different Muslim groups who live and work in the city could give BOPK candidates at least 5,000 sure votes in Monday’s election.

“Ako mahimong protector kaninyo,” Osmena said in response to their commitment of support. (I will be your protector.)

Like any father to his children, Osmena said, he will make sure that Muslims are accepted by the Cebuano community./Doris C. Bongcac and Edison Delos Angeles

Anti-communist solon to go on hunger strike

Rep. Pastor ‘Jun’ Alcover Jr. of Anad party-list said he will go on hunger strike to protest the Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualification of his group.

“Naanad na mi ani every elections apan di kami muatras. Pakamatyan ni nakong awaya (We are already used to this every elections but we won’t back down. I am willing to die for this fight),” Alcover said.

However, Alcover said he will only start the hunger strike upon receiving the official Comelec resolution from Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.

Eleven other party-list groups have been disqualified from joining the process including Anad (Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy.

He branded election watchdog, Kontra Daya, a civil society group that is pushing for reforms in the party list system as a ‘communist front’.

He also blames the their disqualification to “the communists in the Comelec,” he said./Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos