Fire breaks out at 2 Mindanao schools to be used as BSKE precincts

Fire broke out at two elementary schools in Mindanao which were to be used as polling precincts for the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported Saturday.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the Ruminimbang Elementary School in Barangay Ruminimbang, Barira, Maguindanao del Norte was ablaze at about 01:50 a.m.

The school's Grade 1 to Grade 4 classrooms caught fire. No casualties
were reported.

Local authorities, together with the Bureau of Fire Protection, responded to the incident and were investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, the Poona Piagapo Central Elementary School, Old Poblacion in Poona Piagapo, Lanao Del Norte also caught fire at around 2 a.m.

The fire resulted in the “complete destruction” of one of the school’s classrooms, said Garcia.

However, while a classroom in the school's compound was gutted in the fire, the actual voting center that would be used in the BSKE was unaffected.

The fire was extinguished around 4 a.m. on Saturday with no reported casualties.

The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage remain under investigation.

“Hindi po pangkaraniwan dahil wala namang tao sa paaralan, at siyempre ngayon ay Sabado na, kalimitan wala namang pasok ang mga bata kapag Sabado. And therefore napakaimposible namang sabay pa kung yan ay electrical connection,” Garcia said in a Super Radyo DZBB interview.

(The incident is unusual because there's no one at school. And, of course, today is Saturday. Children usually don't have classes on Saturdays. Therefore it is very impossible that it was due to an electrical connection since the incidents happened simultaneously.)

“Therefore, malapit na ang eleksyon, diyan iho-hold ang halalan, talagang kahina-hinala po ‘yung pagkasunog na ‘yan ng dalawang eskuwelahan,” he added.

(Therefore, the election is close, and the schools will serve as polling precincts. The fire from two schools is really suspicious.)

“Kinokondena natin ito kung ito man ay isang kagagawan, sinadya, na insidente. At the same time kung may kinakailangang ipapa-aresto, mapapa-aresto po agad natin,” he said.

(We condemn this if it is a deliberate, intentional, incident. At the same time, if someone needs to be arrested, we will urge authorities to arrest them immediately," he said.)

According to Garcia, the areas were under yellow category, or with reported suspected election-related incidents in the last two polls but no participation of local terror groups.

Garcia said that despite these incidents, the elections would push through in the two areas through makeshift adjustments, adding that no election paraphernalia were destroyed during the incident.

“Kung kinakailangan gagawa kami ng makeshift sa area. Hindi po natin pagbibigyan ‘yung mga ginagawang ‘yan kung ‘yan ay sinadya para ilipat ang pagboto ng ating mga kababayan.”

(If necessary, we will make a makeshift effort in the area. We will not allow these actions, if ever these were intentional, to transfer the voting of our countrymen.)

“Diyan din po natin isasagawa ang pagboto ng mga kababayan natin at tataasan natin ang presensya at bilang ng ating security forces,” he added.

(Will conduct the elections there, and we will increase the presence and number of our security forces.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News