Barangay officials told to leave posts
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has ruled with finality that there was a failure of election in Barangay Lipat-on, Calatrava in Negros Occidental in 2010.
The Comelec ordered all officials in the barangay to vacate their posts immediately, including Barangay Captain Ned Damondamon and councilmen Amado Cajelo, Emilia Cahilo, Randy Sotes, Alberto Ogue, Ana Marie Sario, Lamberto Daulong, and Jimmy Balentogo.
The order dated January 30, 2012 was signed by Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. and Commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Lucenito Tagle, Elias Yusoph, Christian Robert Lim and Augusto Lagman.
A copy of the order was funished to the Comelec Provincial Office in Negros Occidental yesterday.
The Commission has also ordered a special election in the said village, said Provincial Election Officer Atty. Jesse Suarez.
He said they are just waiting for the calendar of activities from the Comelec head office in Manila to hold a special election.
On June 16, 2011, the Comelec en banc promulgated a resolution declaring a failure of election in Brgy. Lipat-on and to declare as null and void the proclamation of the barangay officials.
The petitioners filed a motion for issuance of writ of execution on August 11, 2011, but the Supreme Court, on November 15, 2011, denied their motion with finality, as no substantial arguments were presented to warrant the reversal of the questioned resolution.
The petition cited in the Comelec Resolution said that during the Barangay and SK Elections on October 25, 2010, only 249 votes were cast out of 800 registered voters in a polling precinct in Alfonso Damondamon Elementary School in Barangay Lipat-on.
This was because Epifanio Damondamon, Ian Damondamon, and candidate Ned, who are reportedly the owner of the access road leading to the school, allegedly blocked it using a bulldozer, a Mitsubishi Pajero, and a Suzuki multi-cab and intimidated several voters by displaying armed goons riding in the pajero.
Negotiations took place between the Damondamons and the municipal election officer, but the negotiation failed because the former allowed voters to vote until 9 a.m. only, after allegedly ensuring that all their supporters have already cast their votes.
The voters identified with the opponents were reportedly not allowed to vote, it added.
The difference in the votes cast out of 800 could be sufficient enough to affect the result of the elections, it said.
Moreover, not a single Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) voter out of 53 registered voters was able to cast their votes, thus no SK official was elected in the said barangay, it added.
The resolution also said 350 registered voters signed for the holding of a special election, claiming that 80 percent of the voters in the said barangay were disenfranchised.
Both Calatrava chief of police Ramel Sarona and Municipal Election Officer Agnes Roullo, in their separate reports, confirmed the blocking of access road, the Comelec resolution reads.