Lucena villagers miss merrymaking on poll day

POLL OFFICIALS in Barangay Cotta in Lucena City kill time at past noon as there were no more voters. Most villagers cast their votes in the morning to attend to their fiesta visitors. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR./INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON

LUCENA CITY—The liquor ban imposed in the wake of nationwide election of village officials has spoiled the fiesta of Barangay (village) Cotta here.

“This is my first fiesta without a drinking session. This election is a spoiler to the traditional merrymaking,” said Juanito Alegre, a resident of Cotta and a retired government employee.

He said he would spend the rest of the day at the polling center to escape from his visitors, mostly former officemates and drinking buddies.

Lucena police chief Supt. Allen Rae Co earlier announced the police would strictly implement the liquor ban, which began after midnight on Saturday and ended midnight on Monday.

“Fiesta is no excuse, more reason for us to strictly implement the liquor ban to prevent intoxicated merrymakers from disturbing the peace and order of the elections,” Co said.

Co said he dispatched additional police patrol units in Cotta to go after liquor ban violators.

The ban covered the selling, offering, buying, serving and taking of intoxicating liquor on Oct. 27 and 28. Anyone caught defying the ban faced up to six years in prison.

Cotta, one of the biggest villages in Lucena, has 8,500 registered voters. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is a native of the village. His younger brother, Hermilando Jr., is the reelectionist village chair.

It was learned that some of the candidates were “extra gracious and too accommodating” to voters who visited their house on fiesta day.

“The voters can ‘eat all you can.’ The wife of the candidate is still smiling,” a villager told this correspondent with a laugh.

Most voters in Cotta trooped to the polling place in a public elementary school after attending Mass at the nearby St. Jude Thaddeus Parish Church.

“I prayed that only sincere and qualified candidates will win in my village, that they will serve the barangay council with all honesty and dedication,” said Nadja Esteban, a native of the village.

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POLL OFFICIALS in Barangay Cotta in Lucena City kill time at past noon as there were no more voters. Most villagers cast their votes in the morning to attend to their fiesta visitors. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR./INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON