Socsksargen voters were not spared from the serious election problems with the automated 2013 elections.

PCOS machines reportedly bogged down in different precincts in the province throughout election day. Kontra Daya volunteers reported that 400 voters were unable to cast their votes when PCOS machines failed to start in Precinct Number 130 at Oringo Elementary School, Barangay City Heights, General Santos City.

Voters have jampacked the premises of Precinct Number 130 at Oringo Elementary School, Barangay City Heights, General Santos City because PCOS machines have been bogging down constantly. As of 5pm, only less than 300 voters have cast their votes since polling time began.

 
In Silway 8 Elementary School, Polomolok, South Cotobato, only five PCOS machines were allocated for 6,000 voters. The voting process was also reportedly slow while many voters’ names could not be found on the precinct’s lists.

 
In Precinct Number 110 at Romana C. Acharon Elementary School, General Santos City, the PCOS machine malfunctioned at as late as 4pm. When it was turned back on, the machine count of votes cast for the day went back to zero.

 
A precinct in Barangay Buayan, General Santos City resorted to manual voting because of a defective PCOS machine.

 
In other precincts, voting was halted altogether because of defective PCOS machines, as in Alegria Elementary School, Barangay Algeria, Alabel, Sarangani Province.

 
PCOS glitches were also reported in Romana C. Acharon Elementary School, General Santos City and Barangay Aplaya, Digos City.

 
Senior citizens of Polling Center Number 31, Barangay Aplaya, Digos City, Davao del Sur complained of inefficiency in conducting the polls because they were not accorded a priority lane.

 
Meanwhile, power interruptions were reported to have affected voting at around 2:30pm in Koronadal City, in Barangay Benitez, Banga, South Cotobato, and at 3:30pm in Barangay East Elementary School, General Santos City.

 
Vote-buying was also allegedly rampant in Socsksargen. In Barangay Sta. Cruz, Koronadal City, P200 bills were inserted inside the bread distributed to voters. In Polomolok, South Cotobato, registered voters of Silway 8 Elementary School were given P400 each by supporters of mayoralty candidate Honey Lumayag. Supporters of Lumayag’s rival Nilda Almencion likewise gave out P200 bills to registered voters.

In Barangay Camachellis, Matan-ao, Davao del Sur, Nacionalista Party Coalition and Alyansa supporters also gave out P200 to voters.

There were also reported cases of fraud, violence and intimidation. In Balunto Elementary School, Barangay Labangal, Gensan City, no less than Armed Forces of the Philippines soldiers were deployed in the voting area. In Lamcanal, Malandag, Malungon, Sarangani Province, a policeman startled civilians by forcibly entering a precinct.

 
In the Fisheries School of Bula, General Santos City, a military tank deliberately parked near a polling center and caused intimidation among voters despite its voters’ rights streamer.

Again, in Barangay Aplaya, PNP personnel were observed to be monitoring the polling place at only three meters away from the venue.
 

On the eve of the elections, motorcycle-riding gunmen were observed conducting a house-to-house campaign. Residents told Kontra Daya volunteers that they were alarmed because the party barged into their homes without permission.

 
In Barangay Sinapulan, Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, Kontra Daya volunteers observed BEIs to be folding the edges of ballots not favoring the Mangudadatus and Sakalurans. In Barangay Udtong Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, supporters of Teng Mangudadatu and Raden Sakaluran reportedly mauled 40-year-old Anakpawis Partylist member Walter Espinosa after the latter voted for Mangudadatu and Sakaluran’s rivals. ###