P’sinan poll officers reshuffled

DAGUPAN CITY – Forty-seven election officers (EO) in Pangasinan have been reshuffled to ensure impartiality in the May elections.

Lawyer Joel Gines said the officers from 44 towns and three cities have assumed their temporary posts since April 1, except for the EO in Urdaneta City who remained in his post due to humanitarian consideration. Gines said the EOs would return to their post after June 8. He said closed to 9,100 teachers in the province would perform poll duties as members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) on May 9.

Pangasinan is the third vote-rich province in the country with 1.7 million registered voters.

Twenty areas in the province have been included in the election watch list by the police due to intense political rivalry and history of poll-related violence. The list was not yet released to the media. “We are watching all towns and cities to avoid untoward incidents,” Gines said. –