Comelec: No election offense by F2 Logistics over poll materials found in Cavite

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) found no election offense on the part of F2 Logistics over the Eleksyon 2022 paraphernalia seen at a vacant lot in Cavite, acting poll body spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said Friday

"On election offense po, yes [there was no offense found on the part of F2]. Wala pong nakita na overt act leading to a probable cause," Laudiangco told reporters in a Viber message.

However, the acting spokesperson said there was still an ongoing evaluation by the Comelec as to the contract performance and compliance of F2 Logistics to its contractual obligations, which is in adherence to government procurement rules.

Should there be violations of its contractual obligations, Laudiangco said F2 Logistics' performance security may be forfeited, the Comelec may claim warranty security from the firm, or they may face blacklisting.

Laudiangco shared with the media the excerpts of the report of the Packing and Shipping Committee which was submitted to the chairperson of the panel, Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, last June 9.

"Per investigation/inspection of the Packing and Shipping Committee (PSC), it was found that the said election materials inside the black boxes were used items such as indelible ink, stamp pads, bond papers as well as, used/excess non-accountable forms, ballot secrecy folders and envelopes," an excerpt of the report read.

"None of the items were considered cause for alarm or used for fraud or similar activities as may have been alleged in the [Facebook] post," it further stated.

The Comelec PSC panel report mentioned the notarized affidavits of the Electoral Boards assigned at JP Rizal Elementary School in Manila, where the items came from, to support their findings on the alleged mishandled election paraphernalia.

The report was submitted, deliberated upon, and approved by the Comelec en banc on June 15.

During the deliberations, Ferolino said that the inclusion of the election materials in the reverse logistics in JP Rizal Elementary School was on account of "inadvertence."

According to the poll commissioner, the school's clerk custodian had instructed F2 Logistics personnel to take everything, with the latter assuming that they were told to retrieve all the items together with the vote counting machines.

When the F2 personnel realized that the materials were not included in the reverse logistics, Ferolino said the concerned personnel temporarily unloaded the items in their parking area in Amadeo, Cavite, while seeking clarification as to where to deliver the said items.

After clarifying the instructions, the F2 personnel "immediately recovered" the election materials and these were brought to the logistics firm's headquarters in Parañaque City "where it was stored and safely kept up to this writing."

Ferolino also informed the en banc that the items were all accounted for after the investigation ordered F2 Logistics, one of its Eleksyon 2022 contractors, to explain the paraphernalia found in a vacant lot in Cavite.

The poll body earlier stated that these were training materials and not official ballots.

One of the boxes was said to have contained a vote paper audit trail, or the receipt showing the candidate whom the voters shaded, along with envelopes for election returns. — DVM, GMA News