LUBUAGAN,Kalinga — At least six police officers in the province served as poll workers in a village here during the May 14, 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Kalinga COMELEC Supervisor Dexter Cawis said that six personnel of the Kalinga Provincial Police Office served as Board of Election Tellers and Inspectors in the far flung barangay Mabongtot in this town.
The police officers who served in the polling precinct at the Mabongtot Elementary School are PO3 Daniel Andomang, PO2 Donald Cabay, PO2 Nike Gano, PO2 Prudencio Atas, PO2 Hilbert Laoagan and PO2 Louie Padayao.
Cawis said that this is the second election that these same police officers served as poll workers in the area. They first served in the barangay election in 2013.
Mabongtot village is one of the far flung areas in Lubuagan which can be reached passing through the mountainous terrain and crossing the Chico River . It is one of the 25 barangays in the province under election watchlist due to intense political rivalries, insurgency and presence of guns for hire groups.
The COMELEC had asked the PNP to assign police officers to serve as BET instead of teachers in Mabongtot.
Republic Act 10756 or the Election Service Reform Act and COMELEC Resolution No. 10194 provide that uniformed personnel of the PNP may be deputized as member of the Electoral Board if the peace and order situation in the area requires it and if and there are no other qualified, willing and available persons to render election service in the affected area.?
Cawis said that the police officers who served as board of election tellers and inspectors will receive their appropriate honoraria and travel allowances. The payment of their compensation will be made by the election officer of the area they served.
Police Regional Office – Cordillera PCSupt. Edward Carranza lauded the police officers who served as peace keepers during the elections and gave commendations to the six police officers who served as poll workers in a simple ceremony at the PRO-Cor Headquarters in Camp Bado Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet on Friday.
Carranza stressed that the efforts and determination of the police officers along with their counterpart in the military during the election played a very big part in making the May 14 Barangay and SK elections generally peaceful and orderly in the Cordillera.**By Redjie Melvic Cawis
