By Movement for Principled Politics in Pampanga and Citizen Journalists-Pampanga
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga. —Tension runs high at the University of the Philippines-San Fernando Extension in the Clark Free Port (UP Clark) because of the school director’s continuous refusal to allow the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to use their covered court as a polling precinct this May 10 elections.
UP Clark Director Juliet Mallari has threatened to file a case of illegal trespassing against Comelec representatives, Smartmatic technicians, and their three police escorts who entered the school premises to install one unit of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine last May 3.
Dr. Mallari pointed out that UP campuses have never been used as polling places before and any move to do so should be covered by an official agreement between the UP Board of Regents (BOR) and the Comelec.
The entry of the group inside UP Clark in Pampanga was covered by a directive from Comelec Region III Chief Temie Lambino and reportedly authorized by Dr. Emmanuel Angeles, chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the UP BOR.
PO3 Rodolfo Agustin, a member of the Mabalacat Police Force, said despite the threat of a lawsuit, they will continue to stay at the UP Clark covered court “to guard the PCOS machine 24/7”. They decided to put the PCOS machine inside a parked red Pajero, owned by one of them, for safekeeping during the standoff.
The testing and sealing of the machine was postponed to May 7, following a nationwide recall by the Comelec of PCOS machines’ faulty memory cards. The official ballots for Pampanga were delivered on May 2.
The planned polling precinct inside UP Clark has 947 registered voters, composed mostly of Air Force personnel and their families. They used to vote at the Dau Central Elementary (DCE) in Mabalacat town, which is two rides away from Clark.
In opposing the transfer to UP Clark of said polling precinct, Dr. Mallari gave the following additional grounds: a) UP has its own charter and the supposed authorization issued by Dr. Emmanuel Angeles (CHED and UP BOR chair) is not valid because he has to get the concurrence of the other BOR members; b) protocol was not properly observed because the Comelec did not honor the disapproval of the director of UP Clark; and c) UP administration’s concerns regarding lack of facilities, and lack of manpower to provide utility services and security.
A dialogue between the Comelec and the UP Clark Administration has been scheduled to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, volunteers from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in the area were instructed to closely monitor the situation.