Political groups brace for flying voters
Different political parties are expected to ask for copies of the exact number of total registered voters in the city to ensure that they will not be defrauded.
Based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) data, the city has a total registered voters of 226,215.
A think-tank of a political group who asked for anonymity said with the records of voters they can determine after the election on whether there are flying voters who were admitted in polling precincts to cast their votes. The records of the registered voters and the number of voters who casted their votes and those who failed to vote during the election should match.
They will also ask the Comelec on how many voters are already disenfranchised for their failure to vote in three previous elections. A political group is allowed to have access on such details. This is just one way to avoid cheating in the coming May polls, source said.
In Iloilo City alone, there are three political groups that are registered in the Comelec based on candidates' certificates of candidacy, the Lakas-CMD of the administration, PDP-Laban of the opposition and Ugyon party.
The source added that they want to check on how many voters are registered in Barangay Roxas Village, City Proper. The barangay is already occupied by Robinsons Place and other commercial establishments. It is already a commercial area and their inhabitants were already transferred in different relocation sites in the city. They observe that there are only few residents who live in the barangay.
In previous years, there were already moves to abolish Barangay Roxas Village because of the few number of residents in the barangay. Until now, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Iloilo has yet to decide on the fate of Roxas Village. Just this month, the barangay thru its barangay captain Melchor Conte even asked for the approval of the city council for a P1 million annual budget for its annual development plan.
There are 45 barangays in the City Proper. It has 265 established precincts with total number of registered voters of 36,229. The district of City Proper has the third largest number of registered voters based in the records of the City Comelec.
Other than the City Proper voters, the group is also eyeing the records of registered voters in Jaro district, the bailiwick of Representative Raul Gonzalez Jr. The district of Jaro has the largest number of registered voters with 53,816.