BILANG PILIPINO | Comelec working with NBI to probe video of alleged tearing of ballots

May 11, 2022 , 01:01 PM

(May 11, 2022) – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is working with concerned authorities to look into the veracity of a video circulating on social media showing alleged ballots for the 2022 elections being torn apart, an official said on Wednesday.

Comelec commissioner George Garcia said they have already forwarded the video to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a probe and help identify the people involved.

“Ako kasi ang (nakatalaga sa) task force kontra fake news. Therefore, meron na kaming ugnayan sa NBI. Meron na kaming pinaiimbestigahan,” said Garcia in an interview on Ted Failon and DJ Chacha sa Radyo 5.

But Garcia was doubtful if the alleged ballots on the video were supposed to be used for the voting, noting that some parts were left blank.

“Iyon ay kalimitang ginagawa ng political parties kapag nagpapa-train ng mga botante sa pagboto,” said Garcia.

He, however, maintained that they will drill into the issue to know the truth about the incident, noting the actions they have taken to address online reports and other videos questioning the integrity of the electoral process.

“Pina-subpoena na ng NBI ‘yung mga taong involved sa limang video na sa aming palagay ay sumira sa kredibilidad ng eleksyon. Pang-anim na ito sa ire-refer namin ngayon sa NBI upang ma-subpoena at maimbestigahan ‘yung mga allegedly na mga pulis na ‘yan,” said Garcia.

Several areas in the country have faced incidents of election-related violence that led to killings and other forms of assaults. Some netizens also shared videos of fights between rival camps in local polls.

As of Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed at least 16 cases of election-related violence out of the 71 cases reported since January. At least 14 incidents are still under investigation. Most of the confirmed cases happened in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

In Maguindanao, three members of the barangay peacekeeping action team were killed by unidentified men in a polling precinct in Buluan. Three were killed while two others were injured in a separate shooting incident in Malabang, Lanao del Sur.

A dozen municipalities in Maguindanao were earlier considered as “hotly contested” by the Comelec while Lanao del Sur was tagged as an “area of concern.”

Despite the incidents of election-related violence, some authorities insisted that the 2022 elections were relatively orderly and peaceful compared to past years.

“We have not recorded any significant crime incidents that would somehow tell us that our elections are violent,” said PNP spokesperson Jean Fajardo in a press conference.

Garcia also stood by the credibility of the votes despite the allegations of election fraud by some camps.

“In-improve natin ang sistema. At the same time, ‘yung nabulunan, nalaman namin kung naasan ‘yung solusyon doon. Therefore, ‘yung mismong equipment ay amin ding in-improve at nakipag-ugnayan tayo sa ating telcos,” said Garcia.

(PM)

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