Cops deployed vs poll protests

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Police District (MPD) has deployed personnel to secure the Commission on Elections (Comelec) amid protests questioning the results of the presidential race.

At least 140 police officers were deployed in Palacio del Gobernador, which houses the Comelec central office in Intramuros, according to MPD director Brig. Gen. Leo Francisco.

Around 60 police personnel were fielded in Liwasang Bonifacio where rallyists held an overnight vigil to protest the victory of the late dictator’s son and now presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

There was no need to disperse the protesters who held their vigil in a freedom park, Francisco said.

Protesters from Southern Tagalog trooped to the Comelec office yesterday afternoon, but they were barricaded by police.

In an interview on dzMM yesterday, Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao cited incidents of voters lined up late Monday night to cast their ballots due to malfunctioning vote counting machines and defective SD cards.

He said it was “heartbreaking” for the voters to stay up late to see their ballots cast.

“Our protest is a manifestation of our collective indignation of the mishandling of our election system,” Arao said in Filipino.

He said Comelec officials must explain the glitches in the automated election system, which resulted in the “disenfranchisement” of voters.

The activists are protesting the imminent return of the Marcoses to Malacañang 36 years after they were chased into exile in Hawaii following a people power revolt in 1986.