Authorities hunt 20 men who stole 10 VCMs in Sultan Kudarat

By: Edwin Fernandez - 9 years ago

JUST TESTING A poll watcher inserts a ballot into a vote counting machine at a mock election in Metro Manila. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

JUST TESTING. A poll watcher inserts a ballot into a vote counting machine at a mock election in Metro Manila. INQUIRER PHOTO

SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao—Police and military authorities are hunting down about 20 men who barged inside the Maguindanaon Elementary School in Barangay Katuli around 6 a.m. and took at least 10 vote-counting machines (VCMs).

Senior Insp. Esmael Madin, the town police chief, said the men forcibly entered the school premises and took the election paraphernalia.

Estellita Orbase, acting election officer of Sultan Kudarat town, said the incident stalled voting at the school, where 700 voters were waiting to vote. /rga