The March 13 Palawan Plebiscite will be the first electoral exercise in the country that will be held during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
With the pandemic situation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will also be the first electoral exercise in the country that will use or adopt the minimum health standards and protocols.
"There will be checking of temperatures of voters. There will also be isolation facility (polling place) just in case there are those with temperature of 37.5 or above,"Deputy Executive Director for Operations Teopisto Elnas said in a press briefing in Puerto Princesa, Thursday, March 11.
He said social distancing will also be implemented.
"That's the reason why we only allow five voters at a given time to enter (the polling precinct)…we will also control the number of watchers to be deployed," said Elnas.
"Because of the pandemic situation we see to it that only 200 registered voters per precinct," he added.
Other COVID-19 health and safety protocols that will be implemented in voting centers are the completion of COVID-19 Self Declaration Form, strict observance of proper respiratory etiquette, use of foot baths before entering the polling place, and proper wearing of face mask and face shield.
Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho, the commissioner-in-charge of the plebiscite, said the exercise will somewhat serve as a laboratory for the conduct of the May 2022 polls in terms of observance with health protocols.
"Any lesson that we will learn from this electoral exercise, we will adopt and improve for the purpose of the May 2022 elections," he said.
The Comelec, meantime, expects the results of the plebiscite to be known by March 16.
"We expect it by March 16. Of course, allow us to have a range on this as we have to take into account the weather also and other circumstances," Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said.
The Comelec originally scheduled the conduct of the plebiscite to ratify the division of the province of Palawan into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur on May 11, 2020 in accordance to Republic Act No. 11259.
It was suspended in April 2020 due to the pandemic and the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon.