By Nestor L. Abrematea
Tacloban City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Leyte is expecting a peaceful Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on May 14, 2018.
Lawyer Corazon Montallana, acting Leyte Comelec Provincial Director, told the Manila Bulletin that there are only few identified hotspots in Leyte.
Montallana said that from the original list of 88 possible election hotspots, the number has since been trimmed down to 18 as the disputes and rivalries in other barangays have been settled by the local leaders.
The province of Leyte has more than 1,600 barangays, she said.
Meanwhile, the election official also dismissed talks that unopposed candidates for barangay chairmen and SK chairmen have to get at least 30 percent of votes cast.
Montallana said there is no such thing as provided for in the law.
In a related development, San Juan, Southern Leyte Mayor Virgilio A. Mortera told the Manila Bulletin that the Barangay and SK elections in his town are expected to be relatively peaceful.