CEBU CITY – With the mid-term polls only less than a month away, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Palompon town, Leyte is still swamped with complaints.

PALOMPON, Leyte mayoral candidate Dr. Georgina Arevalo shows a list of deceased residents who are still in the town's list of active voters. (Calvin D. Cordova)
On Friday, April 11, several residents trooped to the Comelec office in Palompon to raise various complaints.
Some residents complained that their relatives who died a few years ago remained in the list of active voters.
Some residents were frustrated after not finding their names in the voter's list when they were still able to vote in the most recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
These fueled concerns about possible fraud and cast doubt on the integrity of the town’s upcoming elections.
Merlyn Peñano, one of the affected voters, said she was surprised that her name is no longer in the voter's list despite voting in two consecutive elections. “I’ve voted before, so I don’t understand why my name isn’t on the list now. It’s really worrying, and I don’t know where to turn for answers," Peñano said in the local dialect.
Another resident, Rosemarie Tuico, said her father, who died earlier this year, is still on the active voter's list even if they have submitted an affidavit confirming his death. “It’s frustrating. I submitted everything I was asked to, but nothing has changed,” she said.
At the Comelec office, reporters chanced upon lawyer Robie Quiño, who was assisting a group of residents seeking the removal of their deceased relatives from the voter's list.
Quiño, who is running for councilor in the slate of mayoral aspirant Dr. Georgina Arevalo, said that their team is taking necessary measures to ensure the accuracy of the voter's list.
He showed 15 affidavits executed by residents needed for the removal of the names of the deceased voters from the list.
According to Arevalo, there are 1,089 deceased residents who voted in past elections.
“This list is inaccurate, and that’s a major concern for anyone hoping for a fair election,” Arevalo said. “The inclusion of deceased voters creates a serious problem," she added.
Arevalo also expressed concern over the removal of qualified voters. "It doesn’t make sense. People who have voted before are now being excluded, and it’s causing a lot of confusion and frustration,” she added.
Official documents from the Philippine Statistics Authority have been submitted to support the removal of deceased individuals, but the local Comelec has yet to update the list.
Arevalo lamented that Elvisa Tiu, election officer of Comelec-Palompon, could not give them clear answers as about their concerns.
"We were told to just hire watchers to watch over our votes. What kind of response is that?" Arevalo said.
Tiu was not in her office when reporters tried to seek her comment on the issue.
An Election Registration Board hearing is scheduled for April 14 that Arevalo hopes will finally lead to concrete action to solve the pressing issues
Arevalo appealed to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia to intervene to help resolve the issue. "I'm praying that the upcoming election will be peaceful but I will not be shocked if it becomes chaotic because of these issues," Arevalo said.