Geline Salac

Voting center in Abra town burns days before polls

Article (news)

Johnson Manabat

ABS-CBN News

<p>A voting center in Bangued, Abra went up in flames Wednesday just days before the May 12 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections said.</p><p>Initial reports said the fire in Dangdangla Elementary School in Bangued, Abra started around 4 a.m. Wednesday. The Bureau of Fire Protection is still investigating the cause of the fire and how many classrooms wered affected in the blaze.</p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1919915435182719047&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-05-07T01%3A55%3A27.087293%3Ad442872b-8a66-43d7-b025-2040ebb1908f%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=d1f8a1a7a02b005b3c89b5690cce8f3649398fed&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:994px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1919915435182719047"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>Comelec said automated counting machines had yet to be delivered to the voting center before the fire.</p><p>But about 70 percent of the voting center was destroyed, Comelec chairman George Garcia noted. </p><p>He said the final testing and sealing (FTS) of the ACMs was suspended but expected to resume soon. </p><p>While the election officer in Bangued recommended the transfer of the voting center to a safer place, Garcia said he was determined to hold the casting of votes in Dandangla Elementary School on Monday, May 12. </p><p>“Hindi tayo lilipat ng polling place, hinding-hindi namin ililipat ng polling place. Magtatayo kami ng makeshift doon sa lugar na yan. May natirang 2 classrooms, tutal isang presinto lang naman ang involved. Huwag po kayong mag-aalala diyan pa rin po kayo boboto,” Garcia said. </p><p>Based on Comelec data, there are about 188,957 total registered voters in Abra. Out of the total, 35, 227 are registered voters in Bangued.</p><p>Comelec said there were 24 voting centers in Bangued with 49 clustered precincts. </p><p>Garcia urged Abra voters to remain calm as there are contingency plans to still hold elections as scheduled. </p><p>“Kahit na sunugin nyo ng sunugin yan mga eskwelahan, diyan pa rin kami magho-hold ng botohan. Nakakagalit, bakit? Sa mga bata po yang paaralan eh…ano pa magiging konklusyon ng ordinaryong botante?” Garcia said. </p><p>“Ginagarantiya natin sa area sa Bangued, Abra, huwag po kayong matatakot..we will increase the presence of our security personnel,” he added.  </p><p>Garcia said that while there are recommendations to place Abra under Comelec control, its en banc has yet to decide on this as it needs to assess the peace and order situation in the area and the recommendation of the local peace and security cluster.</p><div><strong>With a report by April Rafales</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XObRPIkIL9Q?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>A voting center in Bangued, Abra went up in flames Wednesday just days before the May 12 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections said.</p>

A voting center in Bangued, Abra went up in flames Wednesday just days before the May 12 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections said.