In Cebu City, a teacher feeds ballots to VCM without poll watchers, several elderly complain

A voter places her ballot in a PCOS machine after voting at precint 169 of San Antonio High School in Makati City.
INQUIRER file photo / ARNOLD ALMACEN

CEBU CITY—Several senior citizens from Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City have complained that one teacher took their ballots and refused to be accompanied by poll watchers when feeding these to the machines.

Richard (not his real name) said seniors, persons with disability, and pregnant women cast their votes inside one room at the Cebu Normal University along Osmena Boulevard in Cebu City.

The problem was that the room didn’t have any vote-counting machine (VCM).

He said a teacher put their ballots inside a brown envelope and brought it to the second floor, where a VCM was located.

“The problem was the teacher wouldn’t allow a poll watcher to accompany her. She would not also show us our receipts,” he added.

Richard said that when he insisted, the teacher cut him off and said that they were merely following orders from the Commission on Elections.

But a check with the Comelec showed that while teachers were allowed to collect the ballots, they must be accompanied by poll watchers when loading to the machines to protect the votes.

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