Follow rules on poll day

CEBU, Philippines —  With just a day before Filipinos vote for their next leaders, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reminded the public of the rules against prohibited acts set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Among these is the liquor ban which starts today, Sunday, until the last minutes of election day on May 9.

PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. said those who are caught selling, bushing, serving or taking liquor during the election period will face jail time.

“Anyone found violating any of the provisions may face the penalty of imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years without probation,” he said in a statement.

Danao said commercial establishments are also prohibited to display alcoholic beverages in their stores to prevent their customers from being tempted to drink in public.

Candidates and their supporters are also prohibited to conduct campaign activities on Sunday. Danao warned anyone who breaks this rule will be apprehended and charged for an election offense.

Distribution of campaign paraphernalia in voting centers are also not allowed on election day.

Danao urged the public to strictly comply with the rules of the Comelec to avoid possible commotion or heated altercations.

“We just want to maintain our peace and order in every community. Let us exercise the freedom of expression and right to suffrage in a calm and sacred manner,” he said.

Cebu City

In Cebu City, the Comelec is earnestly preparing all the necessary requirements for the big day.

Lawyer Edwin Cadungog, acting election officer of the North District, said they have already distributed the election paraphernalia to be used on the day of the elections.

Cadungog said many teachers went to the Comelec office to pick up the election paraphernalia such as the ballot secrecy folders, pens, and other items to be used tomorrow.

He said the accountable forms, which are the official ballots, will be delivered at Monday dawn until 5:00 a.m. as the voting will begin at 6:00 a.m.

The Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) are already in the voting centers.

Cadungog said the distribution of official ballots will begin in the city’s remote barangays and then to barangays in the downtown area.

"Sa Monday temporary close sa nato ang karsada. I requested already the Cebu City Traffic Enforcement group nga atong ikuan tungod kay dunay pagkuha sa ubang mga paraphernalia diri ug maghatod sa ilang gigamit human sa election daghan man gud kaayo na. We will be using pud sa uban para sa parking pud sa sakyanan kay karga sa atong mga ballot boxes,” he said.

Cadungog also said that during the Final Testing and Sealing, there were some minor glitches that occurred such as VCM bog down and not working battery, but were immediately addressed by the Comelec.

"Only minor things, it's not actually that the machines are defective, kanang dili na gyud magamit, unusable, mahimo rang maayo nato,” said Cadungog.

Power supply assured

Meanwhile, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Saturday that it does not see any problems in power supply on elections day.

In an interview with Dobol B TV, DOE Electric Power Industry Management Bureau Director Mario Marasigan said they have been monitoring the power situation since May 2.

"Sa kasalukuyan po, nagumpisa kami nung May 2 para sa monitoring ng ating power industry and so far, wala po tayong nakikitang mga problema o potential na problema 'pag dating po sa serbisyo ng kuryente lalong lalo na po dito sa ating eleksyon," he said.

("We started monitoring the power industry on May 2 and so far, we don't see any problems or potential problems when it comes to the supply of power during elections.")

He noted that the country recorded the highest supply of the year, so far, at over 14,000 megawatts (MW) on Friday, and a demand of about 11,500 MW.

All power plants have been under "normal operations" since Friday, except for the San Carlos Solar Energy power plant which was disconnected from the grid; and unit 1 of the Cebu Energy Development Corp. coal-fired power plant which tripped earlier this week, the DOE said in a statement to reporters on Saturday.

Stable power in the elections is needed for the timely transmittal of information. Uninterrupted power supply is crucial for the automated polls, which will use vote counting machines to process the ballots.

The DOE, which leads an energy task force for the polls, has allayed fears of possible power interruptions on elections day, which Manila-based policy group Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) earlier raised, saying that there will be "sufficient supply" for the polls.

In February, ICSC warned in a report that power interruptions may take place in the second quarter of this year, citing "very tight supply" caused by delays in the commercial operations of the second unit of GNPower Dinignin— a major coal-fired power plant— and plant de-ratings caused by the gas restrictions of the Malampaya project. – Philippine Star News Service, JMD (FREEMAN)