DAVAO CITY – Police arrested 12 people for violating the election liquor ban in Davao City. The ban was implemented from 12:01 a.m. of May 8 until 12:00 midnight of May 9.
PMaj. Ma. Teresita P. Gaspan, spokesperson of Davao City Police Office (DCPO), said that police authorities strictly enforced the liquor ban to ensure a peaceful conduct of local and national elections in the city.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10746 issued on December 16, 2021 states that the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines penalizes the violators of the liquor ban with imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation, and in addition, the guilty party shall suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage.
The ban was lifted at midnight of May 9.
Gaspan said other than these apprehensions, the conduct of local and national elections in the city was “generally peaceful” aside from the reported faulty VCMs here.
“In as far as security is concerned, we have not received any reported incidents, and the conduct of the elections was generally peaceful,” she said.
She said the police have not received incidents of robbery during the elections.
Gaspan said earlier that police officers had been deployed to secure the polling centers.
She said around 2,000 police personnel had been deployed to carry out election duties around the city.
She added that police provided escort to teachers in transporting the election returns to Sangunian Panlungsod building, the designated area for canvassing.