Mayor seeks probe into fire at Cotabato City Comelec office

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi on Sunday urged an extensive probe into a fire that destroyed the Commission on Elections office in the city late Saturday night.

Guiani-Sayadi is also chairperson of the inter-agency city peace and order council.

Guiani-Sayadi said Sunday she has asked the Comelec central office for an update on the damage to the biometric records of voters the fire may have caused.

"I want to make sure that there was no foul play in that fire incident," she said in a statement.

She said the public should wait for the announcement of the Bureau of Fire Protection on what had caused the fire that hit the Comelec office along Santa Teresa Street in Barangay Rosary Heights 13 here.

Barangay residents said the fire quickly destroyed office tables, chairs, computers and compartments of documents inside the Comelec office and that there was nothing left to save when firemen arrived at the scene.

"We have to let authorities do their job and refrain from speculating on the incident," Guiani-Sayadi said.

Barangay officials said they do not have information on when was the building last inspected by BFP fire safety inspectors.