All is set for today鈥檚 special barangay elections in earthquake-devastated Bohol and battle-scarred and flood-ravaged Zamboanga City, according to the Commission on Elections.
The Comelec expressed confidence the elections would be 鈥減eaceful and orderly鈥� in the two localities with a total of 1.2 million registered voters.
At the same time, Comelec urged the voters in the 1,109 barangays (villages) of Bohol and 98 barangays of Zamboanga to 鈥渃hoose the best鈥� of the 15,347 candidates for barangay chair and councilmen.
鈥淲e are very much ready although we had to make some adjustments,鈥� said Comelec Central Visayas Director Temie Lambino. He arrived in Bohol over the weekend to oversee preparations for the elections.
Election Commissioner Grace Padaca noted that after going through natural and manmade disasters, the residents of the two places 鈥渘eed credible and efficient leaders more than ever.鈥�
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., along with Padaca and Commissioner Al Parre帽o, will personally monitor the village elections in Zamboanga City, while Commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph will do the same in Bohol.
There are 799,089 registered voters in Bohol and 412,661 in Zamboanga City, according to Padaca.
In an e-mail, she told the Inquirer there were 1,488 candidates for punong barangay (barangay chair) and 10,929 for kagawad (barangay councilman) in the island province.
She said that in Zamboanga City, there were 291 candidates for barangay chair and 2,639 for barangay councilmen.
Last week, both Padaca and Parre帽o told the Inquirer the Comelec was 鈥�100 percent ready鈥� and 鈥渁ll set鈥� for the holding of today鈥檚 special barangay elections, with all voting paraphernalia and equipment 鈥渁lready in place.鈥�
The regular barangay elections on Oct. 28 were postponed in Bohol after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake wrought great damage in the province on Oct. 15.
On the other hand, the elections in Zamboanga were reset following three weeks of gun battles between government forces and renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front in September and the massive flooding that occurred afterward. /Inquirer and CORRESPONDENT JOSE SANTINO S. BUNACHITA