CEBU CITY鈥擠espite some faulty vote-counting machines (VCMs) and a shooting incident in Lapu-Lapu City, the elections in Central Visayas were generally peaceful and orderly as of Monday noon, May 9.
Lawyer Dennis Ausal, regional director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), said authorities have not received any untoward incident as people chose the country鈥檚 next leaders.
The poll body, however, announced that some VCMs malfunctioned in different provinces of the region.
Ausal said some of the machines could not process the ballots, while others were not able to release the voting receipts, causing fear among the voters that their votes would not be counted.
The Comelec, however, assured voters that all their votes would be counted.
鈥淚f the VCMs show errors, the voter has an option to wait while the machine is being fixed or leave the ballot to the electoral board,鈥� Ausal said.
鈥淭his is the protocol that we ought to follow. This process, I assure you, is not anomalous,鈥� he added.
Brigadier General Roque Eduardo Vega, director of the Central Visayas police, said the shooting incident on Olango Island in Lapu-Lapu City could not be considered election-related.
鈥淲e found out that the victim was killed due to a personal grudge,鈥� he said.
Unknown assailants at past 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 8, shot dead Jose 鈥淪adam鈥� Quiros, a village councilor of Barangay Tungasan, Olango Island.
Lapu-Lapu City Rep. Paz Radaza is offering P300,000 for information that could lead to the identity and arrest of the gunman and mastermind in the killing of a village councilor.