Voting starts a day late for Northern Samar’s farthest village

TACLOBAN CITY—The balloting of a village in Northern Samar was finally conducted on Tuesday morning, after members of the board of election tellers (BET) failed to reach the barangay on time because they were blocked by some individuals.

At least 300 registered voters of Barangay Deit de Turag in Silvino Lubos town started casting their votes at 7 a.m. said lawyer Jose Nick Mendros, Commission on Elections (Comelec) director for Eastern Visayas.

Barangay Deit de Turag was one of villages classified as areas of concern in Silvino Lubos, the farthest town in Northern Samar.

Mendros said that based on initial reports, the BET members were on their way to Barangay Deit de Turag early Monday when they were reportedly blocked by some individuals.

They were forced to take another route and walked for five kilometers just to reach the village, he added.

By the time they finally arrived Barangay Deit de Turag, it was already past 8 p.m.

Mendros could not provide other details on the incident due to poor communication signals in the vilage.

Mendros said he expected the winners in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Deit de Turag to be proclaimed on Tuesday.