A barangay chairperson from Cavite City filed an opposition to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after finding out that there were applicants who are not legitimate residents of that barangay.
ABC President Azenith Paredes, chairperson of Barangay 25, was surprised to know that almost 400 new residents from their barangay have registered with Comelec, which is more than the 300 residents registered and legitimate voters of their area.
In an interview with DWWW 744, Paredes said that she filed a complaint with the election body, requesting that they will deny the application of such new residents in their community.
She also disclosed that the majority of the registrants were doubtful residents of the barangay because based on the example she shared, it is surprising that there are almost 60 residents living at the same address.
“Ang dagsaang paglipat sa ating barangay ng mga bagong aplikante sa registration (na ang bilang ay umaabot sa kulang-kulang 400 kung saan ito ay mahigit pa sa kasalukuyang registered voter sa ating barangay) ay malinaw na isang tangka upang alisan ng lakas sa halalan ang mga lehitimong residente ng ating barangay,” Paredes said in a statement.
To back up her claim, Paredes submitted a sworn statement of property owners and managers that the applicants claimed to be their home address when they applied to register.
Moreover, she provided the most recent list of residents of the Office of the Secretary, on which the applicants’ names were not listed in Barangay 25.
The chairwoman added that she does not have any idea who is behind this kind of anomaly, and she clarified that she made the decision to file the petition in order to defend the right of Barangay 25 residents to elect the best leader.
“Ito ay ating matapang na lalabanan. Ito ay hindi laban ng isang tao lamang. Ito ay laban ng lahat ng mga lehitimong residente ng ating barangay,” she added.
If applicants are found guilty and prove that they are not legally a resident of the specified barangay, they may be charged with falsification, perjury, and other election-related offenses, according to Comelec.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Apple Paredes/FB
