A Facebook post has stirred controversy among the local online community with allegations about voter registrations.
On July 18, the account CDO News Today claimed that thousands of residents from Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, had registered in Barangay Carmen of Cagayan de Oro City.
The post cited an initial investigation by Comelec First District Election Officer Atty. Joel Dexter Nagtalon, which purportedly found that many new registrants in Barangay Carmen were from Balingasag.
The claim was reportedly discovered after multiple complainants filed petitions with the Comelec 1st District office, challenging the residency of the new voters in Barangay Carmen. The post also mentioned that former Cagayan de Oro city mayor Oscar Moreno hails from Balingasag.
As of this writing, the post had received 84 reactions, 34 comments, and 238 shares.
However, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) First District swiftly debunked the claims on the same day through its official Facebook page.
“This information regarding thousands of newly transferred applicants from Balingasag, Misamis Oriental to (Barangay) Carmen of this city posted by CDO News Today’s Facebook page, is entirely fictitious and fabricated. There has been no such report or statement from Atty. Joel Dexter C. Nagtalon, City Election Officer, OEO-CDO, 1st District. This disclaimer is issued to clarify that the mentioned details are false and not based on any factual events or statements,” the Comelec post reads.
