A barangay captain barred opposition poll watchers from entry in Zumarraga, Samar, according to a report submitted to Kontra Daya on Wednesday, May 4.

Nelson Rapanan, captain of Brgy. Boblaran, prevented poll watchers affiliated with the campaign of presidential candidate Leni Robredo and vice presidential candidate Kiko Pangilinan from entering the area. A video taken by a member of the Robredo People’s Council – Samar and posted on Twitter by user @Rainiel shows Rapanan telling the poll watchers that he had sole authority to allow entry into the barangay. 

Poll watchers arrived in the barangay that day to conduct a poll watcher’s orientation in preparation for Election Day, but Rapanan claimed that they could not hold an orientation in the barangay.

When the poll watchers requested to contact COMELEC, he told them to “call the mayor” and to just “go home”. According to Twitter user @Rainiel, Zumarraga mayor Myrna Tan is a supporter of the campaign of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, the main rival of Robredo and Pangilinan in the 2022 elections, citing multiple posts of Tan sharing anti-Robredo posts.

The team were unable to assert their right to enter the area. They ended up conducting their orientation in the local public cemetery.