Trained cops to replace 86 no-show teachers for BARMM poll duties

COTABATO CITY – Eighty six teachers tasked to serve during the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao parliamentary elections on Monday have not reported during the final testing and sealing of Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) were replaced by police personnel, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said.

Speaking during the meeting with Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) and National Democractic Institute (NDI) at the Comelec command center here, Garcia said the teachers were replaced by members of Special Electoral Board who are police officers trained for election duties.

Gardia said the police officers were duly trained and certified by the Department of Science and Technology to operate the ACMs.

“They (teachers) did not show up during the testing and sealing of ACMs and our protocol is they will be replaced by special electoral board,” Garcia said, adding that there was no official information why the 86 public school teachers did not show up.

Garcia also announced that all the electoral boards across the region have done the testing and sealing which means 100 percent ACMs to be used on Monday have been tested and sealed.

“All the election paraphernalia, except the ballots, are already in the hands of electoral boards,” Garcia said.  

“The ballots, the number one accountable forms, would be picked up at past 12 a.m. on the 14th of September.”