790 CANDIDATES PULL OUT OF BSKE RACE IN BICOL

MANILA — Approximately 790 candidates for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Bicol decided to withdraw from the race just a day before the scheduled election day, as reported by Jane Veleza, the Commission on Elections Bicol regional director.

As of October 29, Veleza confirmed that 790 candidates had formally withdrawn their Certificates of Candidacy (CoCs). The withdrawals were spread across various positions:

For the position of Punong Barangay (Barangay Captain), 82 candidates chose to back out. Among the six provinces in the region, Masbate had the highest number of withdrawals at 49, followed by Albay with 10, Catanduanes with 9, Sorsogon with 7, Camarines Norte with 4, and Camarines Sur with 3.

Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council) members saw 267 candidates withdrawing their CoCs, with Masbate leading with 74 withdrawals, followed by Albay with 66, Camarines Sur with 43, Sorsogon with 42, Catanduanes with 25, and Camarines Norte with 17.

For the position of Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman (Youth Council Chairman), 98 candidates opted to withdraw their CoCs. The breakdown by province included 23 in Masbate, 19 in Albay, 18 in Sorsogon, 16 in Camarines Sur, 14 in Catanduanes, and 8 in Camarines Norte.

Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) also saw a withdrawal of approximately 343 candidates, with Camarines Sur having the highest number at 92, followed by Albay with 81, Masbate with 67, Camarines Norte with 42, Sorsogon with 36, and Catanduanes with 25.

Despite these withdrawals, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bicol assured that the BSKE election was proceeding as planned and all systems were ready. In Albay province, a notable feature was the introduction of mall voting, where over 700 voters from the village of Capantawan in Legazpi City would cast their votes at SM City Legazpi for the first time. Ma. Aurea Bo-Bunao, the Comelec election supervisor in Albay, stated that Legazpi City was one of the pilot areas for this innovative voting approach at SM City Legazpi.

Meanwhile, in Abra, a total of 292 political candidates also withdrew from this year’s political exercise as reported by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr., the PNP chief, and George Garcia, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson, visited the province to assess the situation on Monday.

(Liezelle Soriano/ai/mnm)