A pioneering political exercise was held
on May 14, 2011 at the Pura V. Kalaw Elementary School in
Project 4 Quezon City last Saturday, May 14, 2011. This is a
precedent-setting process of
ratifying a village regulation petitioned under the system of
people's initiative.
It took 465 affirmative votes as against 384 negative votes to
enact a barangay ordinance on illegal settlers, mendicants,
abusive barangay officials, and drug trafficking at Barangay
Milagrosa, District 3, Quezon City. One voter abstained. There
was a marked ballot. There were at least two stray ballots. Voter
turnout, however, was disappointingly low at 23.4% or 856 votes
cast out of 3,665 registered voters in 12 clustered precincts.
.
The Initiative Board of Canvassers led by Quezon City District 3
Election Officer Evelyn B. Bautista as chair and Quezon City
Prosecutor Donald D. Lee as vice-chair with Darna C. Dimaya as
member started the official canvass of the
results from 12 clustered precincts at 5 p.m. at the Reading Station
at the ground floor of the school's main
building. Present were initiative proponents; volunteers from the
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
(PPCRV) under the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal parish;
representatives from the Legal Network for Truthful
Elections (LENTE); and the National Citizens' Movement for Free
Elections (NAMFREL) Quezon City chapter.
None of the the initiative opponents came to witness the process,
but a barangay kagawad briefly entered the
canvassing room. Deputized members of the Philippine National
Police were also posted outside the canvassing room for security
purposes.
At the close of the voting at 3 p.m., votes were only recorded by
the
Initiative Committee from the returns as watchers monitored the
reading out of the votes. No tally sheets were posted on the
blackboard for simultaneous recording of votes as provided for under
Comelec's rules. For the benefit of the public, however, some
teachers wrote the results in their polling place on the blackboard.
The Commission on Elections promulgated the rules and regulations
that would govern the conduct of the initiative on April 20, 2011
(Comelec Resolution No. 9205 -
http://bit.ly/iBXkaW)
