Suspected communist rebels stormed a school in Miag-ao, Iloilo last Saturday and burned five Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines inside, triggering a security adjustment in the entire province, a police official said Sunday.

The Iloilo incident came a day after several men also stormed the Sipocot National High School in Camarines Sur and set fire on books and other light materials inside. Some PCOS machines stored in the school were spared.

Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said at least 20 armed men swooped down on the Cadoldolan Elementary School in Miag-ao town and forcibly entered the Home Economics Room where the five PCOS machines are placed at around 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The rebels then took the five counting machines and burned them.

“The school is located in a remote area but this incident will not be a hindrance for the conduct of elections there,” said Espina.

In fact, Espina said the five damaged PCOS machines have already been replaced by the provincial office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Senior Superintendent Jonathan Ablan, director of the Camarines Sur Police, said the Sipocot incident appeared to be not an election-related case and might have been perpetrated by the local vendors.

“There is no indication that those who burglarized the school were after the PCOS machines. They just burned some books and other materials which are far from where the PCOS machines are stored,” said Ablan.

Ablan said that initial investigation revealed that ambulant vendors might have perpetrated the incident since they are mad at the principal for banning them from peddling near the school premises.

The official said the vendors might have taken the opportunity to embarrass the school principal.

Espina, however, said that additional soldiers and policemen were already deployed in the two provinces in order to secure the areas from possible election sabotage that might be perpetrated by armed groups in day’s nationwide local and national polls.

As this developed, Malacañang denounced the cowardly attacks on government troops guarding poll machines.

Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo paid tribute to the bravery of the soldiers guarding poll machines and urged the electorate to “vote wisely and guard the count” so their sacrifices would not be futile.

“Peace and freedom-loving Filipinos are outraged by the attacks on soldiers escorting vote-counting machines perpetrated by suspected communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels. These cowardly atrocities are no different from ambuscades against troops risking life and limb in emergency rescue missions,” he said.

“On behalf of our grateful people, we accord our fallen and wounded men in uniform the highest honor, and their families our deepest condolences,” Saludo added.

Two soldiers were hurt after government troops clashed with NPA guerrillas trying to steal the vote counting machines in Davao Oriental.

Last Thursday, suspected NPA rebels also launched a bomb attack on a truck of troops escorting a convoy delivering PCOS machines in Palanas, Masabate. No fatality was reported.

Saludo said the brave soldiers have paid the price for the nation’s freedom and democracy. “Let us cast our votes wisely and guard the count, so that the sacrifices of these heroes are not in vain,” he added. (With a report from Genalyn Kabiling)