Comelec-Bacolod open for complaints

May 13, 2022 by No Comments

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod City is open for any complaints or protests regarding the results of the just concluded elections.Acting Bacolod Comelec Officer Revo Sorbito said it is the right of any persons affected by the results of the elections to file a complaint.”For now, I have not officially received any complaints, protests or whatsoever from the candidates here in the city,” he said.In the May 9 elections, former Negros Occidental Third District congressman Alfredo “Albee” Benitez of Team Asenso won over incumbentMayor Evelio Leonardia of Grupo Progreso with a wide margin of votes.Obtaining 171,893 votes against Leonardia’s 107,447, Benitez was proclaimed mayor-elect of the highly urbanized city that had been led by the latter for almost two decades.But Leonardia, in a statement, said that like observations made by some quarters, they, too, believed that there was an irregularity in the count [of votes], citing the manner of treating the casting of votes.He noted that they received reports from their poll watchers of unusual and questionable malfunctioning of a number of vote counting machines (VCMs).This raised questions about the fair conduct of the election and about the credibility and accuracy of the electronic transmissions and delivery of the votes from the precincts to the Comelec canvassing center, Leonardia added.But Sorbito stressed that there was no irregularity in the elections and there was no problem with the vote counting machines (VCMs).”If they want to question the result of the elections, our office is open to accommodate their complaint,” he said.Sorbito also said that all the candidates should also submit their respective Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (Soce).He said both the winners and losers should file their Soce at the Comelec Bacolod and it will be submitted to the finance unit.