37 boxes of election equipment kept in Davao residence brought to DCPO for storage

Workers of Deltech Trucking Logistics unload boxes containing WiFi transmitters and solar panels for the May 12, 2025 midterm national and local elecions at the Davao City Police Office on Monday, 07 April 2025. MindaNews photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 07 April) – A total of 37 boxes containing WiFi transmitters and solar panels were transported by a third-party logistics trucking service and stored at the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Monday morning.

The 37 were part of the 340 boxes of election paraphernalia stored in a private property in Dumanlas, Buhangin here, which were to be brought to the Davao del Norte Police Office on Sunday for safekeeping.

Atty. Gay Enumerables, Commission on Elections – Region 11 assistant regional director and spokesperson, said Sunday the poll equipment were being distributed to their provincial and city offices in the Davao region.

The allocated equipment for Davao City were initially scheduled to arrive at 7:00 a.m., as stated in an earlier notice from the Commission on Elections – Davao City on Sunday.

However, the two wing-trucks operated by DelTech Trucking Logistics arrived at the DCPO grounds at 8:51 a.m., a delay of almost two hours.

Col. Hansel Marantan, DCPO acting city director, said they were asked by the Comelec to store the election paraphernalia in their custody.

“Kinausap ako kung pwede ba nilang i-keep (sa DCPO office) ang mga (election paraphernalia)… So I said yes, this is a government facility,” Marantan told the media Monday morning.

However, he revealed that there was no prior coordination between the DCPO, the Comelec, and the Comelec’s official service provider iOne Resources Joint Venture (iOne JV) with Ardent Networks Inc. regarding the arrival of the election equipment in the city, despite their prior conferences.

“We have three conferences already with the Comelec but we never discuss that matter. So I have to admit that I have no idea of what just happened… We only knew of the incident when it was reported and blottered,” Marantan said.

“Having said that, kung ano man ang security na gusto nilang i-request, we will provide it. We are ready for that,” he added.

Richie Baja, DelTech Trucking Logistics employee who was leading the team unloading the election paraphernalia, told MindaNews that they were only “told by a national agency” to distribute the equipment to the provincial and city offices.

“Nituman ra mi sa sugo sa among boss sa national (We only followed the orders of our boss from the national),” Baja briefly said.

There were Comelec officers present during the delivery, but most of them were inside the DCPO building premises and warehouse. They declined to be interviewed by the media.

The two trucks left at exactly 10:05 a.m., and were bound for Digos, Davao del Sur and then Sta. Maria, Davao Occidental.

Other trucks were also deployed to deliver the election paraphernalia to Davao de Oro, Tagum in Davao del Norte and in Davao Oriental.

In an earlier interview, Enumerables said it will be the election officers’ responsibility where they will be storing the poll paraphernalia.

Enumerables explained that the equipment were not delivered to Dumanlas with police and Comelec presence “because there was no coordination between Comelec and iOne JV with Ardent Networks Inc. on where the equipment would be stored.”

The equipment are meant to be used as backup in remote areas that might face power issues during the election.

“We had no communication with iOne JV, so we were all surprised — even us at Comelec — because there was no prior coordination, even though the equipment are for Comelec,” she said.

She added that proper coordination is important so that they could have asked for help from the Philippine National Police. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)