BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Commission on Elections VI has designated Sipalay Election Officer Adrian Arellano as acting election officer of Bacolod City from Sept. 21 to 25.
Arellano was directed by Wilfredo Jay Balisado, Comelec regional director, to replace Ma. Fatima Aspan who will return to her post as provincial election officer of Negros Occidental.
Aspan was designated by Balisado as acting election officer of Bacolod City starting September 14 after a staff of the Bacolod Comelec tested positive for COVID-19.
Incumbent Bacolod election officer Kathrina Trinio-Cana, on one hand, had a negative RT-PCR result on September 15.
Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier expressed alarm over the sudden and extremely unusual influx of transferee-registrants from out-of-town areas at the Bacolod office of the Commission on Elections last week, and called on Aspan to inhibit herself from assuming as acting city poll officer to preserve the integrity of the ongoing voter’s registration.
However, Aspan’s transfer has nothing to do with the request of the mayor for her to inhibit.
Aspan said she will continue to monitor the activities of the Comelec Bacolod Satellite Office which is under the supervision of the Provincial Comelec Office.*
