The Commission on Elections First Division has postponed the transfer of ballot boxes containing the contested votes from Himamaylan City to Manila from July 30 to Aug. 20 to 24, Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Jessie Suarez said yesterday.

The COMELEC had earlier granted the request for a recount of votes for the candidates for mayor and vice mayor of Himamaylan, in the May 14 polls in 289 precincts.. The venue for the revision of ballots will be the COMELEC Division Office in Intramuros, Manila.

The First Division granted the recount based on motion filed by mayoralty candidate Alain Gatuslao against his aunt, Carmenia Bascon, who had been proclaimed the winning mayor in the May 12 polls.

Candidate for vice mayor Antonio Limsiaco also filed a similar petition for recount against his opponent Luz Bayot, who won the vice mayorship.

Bascon and Bayot have filed counter protests against the two, Suarez said.

Bascon (KAMPI) won with 22,119 against Gatuslao (Lakas-CMD) with 17,581 votes; and Bayot was re-elected with 21,402 votes over Limsiaco with 14,330 votes.

Commissioner Resurreccion Borra, in an order issued Thursday, said considering a verbal report by the Contested Ballot Box Custodian, Juanito Roño, that the COMELEC storage area is not yet fully ready to receive ballot boxes involved in electoral protests, the First Division resolved to defer the collection and delivery of those from Himamaylan.

The provincial election supervisor may proceed with the inventory of the ballot boxes and make proper coordination with the parties involved when they may be ready to transmit the ballot boxes beginning Aug. 20 to 24, Borra said. Gatuslao, Limsiaco, Bayot and Bascon will share in the cost of the transport of the ballot boxes and the recount since protests and counter protests had been filed, Suarez said.*CPG

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