Garcia hopes voter turnout in Ormoc plebiscite higher than in Maguindanao
By Dhel Nazario
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia is hoping that voter turnout in the Ormoc plebiscite held on Saturday, Oct. 8, surpasses the numbers garnered during the Maguindanao plebiscite last Sept. 17.

In a press conference, Garcia said that the Maguindanao plebiscite had an 83.4 percent voter turnout. The plebiscite aimed to settle the question of whether the voters agree or disagree to divide Maguindanao into two provinces, as provided by Republic Act No. 11550.
He, however, clarified that this is not a competition of who gets a higher voter turnout but it is for the benefit of the Local Government Unit (LGU) and the people if a lot will be participating in the said plebiscite.
"The election is not only the business of the Comelec, election is the business of everyone," Garcia said.
"We are hoping that it is more than the majority of the number of votes Involved. So kung 10,000 'yan, hopefully more than 5,000 man lang ang bumoto sa araw na ito (If there are 10,000 voters, hopefully at least more than 5,000 individuals cast their votes today)," he added.
The Oct. 8, 2022 plebiscite seeks to ratify the merger of 28 barangays into three barangays, and remaining one barangay, all in Ormoc City.
According to Garcia, based on his assessment, this will all take effect after the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
"What will happen today, will definitely be a trigger on the succeeding days, weeks, and months on what the Local Government Unit LGU of Ormoc will be doing to prepare everything before the BSKE," he added.
Polling places were opened at 7 a.m. and will be available for voting until 3 p.m. to be followed immediately by the counting of votes.