‘Fake news’ causes panic in Boracay voter’s registration

COMELEC-6 Regional Director Dennis Ausan said someone spread false information that unregistered voters cannot enter or work Boracay Island.

FALSE information caused residents and workers in Boracay Island to panic in the final days of the voter’s registration for the 2019 midterm polls.

Commission on Elections (Comelec)-6 Regional Director Dennis Ausan said the workers stormed their office in mainland Aklan after being informed that they cannot work in the island if they are not a registered voter.

“In the past two to three days, the people panicked because someone announced that you cannot enter or work in Boracay if you are not a registered voter, which is not true,” Ausan told reporters on the sidelights of the Central Philippine University (CPU) alumni homecoming on Sept 29, 2018.

Others even slept outside the Comelec office so they could register. But only those within the 30-meter radius were accommodated on the last day of registration on Sept 29.

Ausan said they do not expect a drop in the island’s voters amid the six-month tourism closure.

Several residents and workers already went home to their provinces following the tourism closure. But he noted that voters come and go depending on the nature of work.

“With or without the closure, the turnover in Boracay is fast. While many registered due to work, many also deactivated,” he said.

Ausan assured a peaceful and orderly election in the island.

Meanwhile, Ausan said the conduct of off-site registration in remote barangays received positive response. As of Sept 15, Comelec has processed around 190,000 registrations nationwide.

He added that the commission will no longer accept request for extension as they have to prepare for other pre-election activities.

“We feel that we have already given ample time for everybody to registers. And we have to come up with the final number of voters for the number of ballots to be printed and to identify the polling places and number of teachers to be hired,” he said.

Boracay, which is composed of three barangays, has roughly 21,000 registered voters, based on the data of Comelec-Malay.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

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