Ombudsman Suspends Santa Maria, Laguna Treasurer Over 2022 Ballot Box Security Lapses
Key Takeaways
- •The Office of the Ombudsman ordered a one-month-and-one-day unpaid suspension of the Santa Maria, Laguna municipal treasurer over lapses in securing ballot boxes from the 2022 national elections.
- •The treasurer was found liable only for simple neglect of duty, as the Ombudsman found no evidence of intentional tampering, corruption, or bad faith.
- •HRET inspection records showed that several ballot boxes from Santa Maria lacked proper plastic and metal security seals, while others were secured only with packaging tape.
- •Ballots from 16 clustered precincts were deemed to be of doubtful integrity due to compromised seals and other physical anomalies.
- •The case stemmed from a March 4 administrative complaint filed by a district representative against the treasurer and the local mayor in connection with an election protest before the HRET.
The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended a municipal treasurer in Santa Maria, Laguna, for one month and one day without pay over the failure to properly secure ballot boxes used in the 2022 national elections.
The ruling, contained in a 17-page decision issued on Monday, held the treasurer liable for simple neglect of duty for failing to preserve the integrity of unopened ballot boxes, as required under the Omnibus Election Code. Those unopened boxes matter because their sealed condition is what allows election tribunals to re-examine contested ballots when results are challenged after the polls.
The case stemmed from an administrative complaint filed on March 4 by a district representative against the treasurer and a local mayor. The complaint alleged grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, and serious dishonesty, and accused both officials of ballot tampering in connection with an election protest filed before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) by the Laguna mayor's husband. The tribunal adjudicates election contests involving seats in the House of Representatives, where the physical condition of ballot boxes is often central to examining protested ballots.
HRET inspection records showed that several ballot boxes retrieved from Santa Maria lacked proper plastic and metal security seals, while others were secured only with packaging tape. Ballots from 16 clustered precincts were deemed to be of doubtful integrity because of compromised seals and other physical anomalies, according to the anti-graft body.
The Ombudsman found no evidence that the treasurer had intentionally tampered with the ballots or acted with corruption or bad faith. However, her admissions showed that unauthorized individuals had access to the storage area, indicating a failure to adequately safeguard the ballot boxes. The case underscores how, years after election day, the physical custody of ballots can still carry administrative consequences for the officials entrusted with keeping them.
— Francessca S. Abalos
Source: Bworldonline
