Candidates appeal over wrong ballot

By Johanna M Sampan/Manila Times

Twelve candidates for city councillors of LAKAS CMD in Bacoor City, Cavite filed a petition yesterday at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to modify incorrect ballot templates.

In an 11-page petition filed before the Comelec, candidates running for councillors in the two districts of Bacoor City urged the poll body to immediately make the necessary corrections to the templates before it is printed or, if printed already, make a re-print.

“It is respectfully prayed for the Commission to direct the NPO (National Printing Office) to cease and desist from printing or causing the printing of the ballots for District 1 and 2, Bacoor City until this case has been resolved . . . and after due hearing, issue a resolution ordering the revision of the respective ballot templates to reflect the correct list of candidates in each district,” the petition said.

In the contested templates, names of the candidates running in the First District were mistakenly placed under the Second District while those running for the Second District posts appeared under the First District.

Petitioners who were all running for councillors in District 1 but included in the ballots for the District 2 were Mike Bautista, Rowena Bautista-Mendiola, Venus de Castro, Reynaldo Fabian, Edwin Gawaran, and Boy Solis.

Second District candidates but incorporated in the ballots for the First District were Bayani de Leon, Boy de Leon, King Gutierrez, Robert Javier, Gudeng Nolasco, and Rey Palabrica.