Comelec designates City common poster areas

OVER apprehensions that a party or candidate may saturate a place a with his or his party's posters, Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. has issued a memorandum giving local election officers ten more days to set up additional common poster areas to places serving more than 5,000 voters. The memorandum was issued as the circus called elections open up the campaign period for senatorial bets and partylist organizations last February 13, 2007 for the May 14 elections. The Abalos memorandum came following complaints that the existing poster areas were not enough to accommodate the campaign materials of all national and local candidates. This came even if Comelec Manila insists that each candidate is only limited to one poster in each common area.

With this, a common poster area should have only posters 8.5 x 14 inches in length or a billboard measuring 12ft x 8 ft plywood, reiterates Maribella Decasa of the Bohol Comelec Office. In lieu of the Comelec memorandum, Tagbilaran City Comelec has designated its common poster areas. In a document, Cabawan, Dampas, Dao, Mansasa, Poblacion 1, Poblacion III, Tiptip and Ubujan, common poster areas are near Barangay Halls. Poblacion II has the Agora Market, Manga has Manga Market and Cogon has the Cogon market and near its barangay hall. Cogon has more that 5,000 voters. Booy and Taloto have common poster areas are near their churches. Bool has theirs at the junction going to Habitat Village right at the filcab terminal.

As this develops and as the election cauldron heats up, COMELEC has invited political parties to observe and guard the printing and delivery of ballots. Such as move is to dispel suspicions extra ballots for the May elections may be printed. Abalos acknowledged that people's trust in the poll body was being eroded by reports about the alleged printing of extra ballots despite his repeated assurances that “the National Printing Office won't be asked to print extra ballots.” He added that the ballots “will be audited, even the trimmings” and stressed that no private companies have been or will be contracted to print the ballots. Asked how many ballots will be printed, Abalos said around 50 million, based on earlier projections that the final list of voters would be between 45 to 50 million. Abalos also said the final list of voters will be available on CD by the third or fourth week of March and that anyone can ask for a copy.

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