Over 100,000 registered voters were expected to cast their ballots at different schools that served as polling sites in Quezon, Caloocan, and Navotas Cities for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday, Oct. 30.
President Corazon Aquino Elementary School (PCAES) principal Dr. Wilma Rosal, the Department of Education Supervising Officer (DESO) in the school, told reporters that the voting started at exactly 7 a.m. and were supposed to end by 1 p.m. for the pregnant, seniors, and PWDs, while the voting period was set to close for regular voters at 3 p.m.
She said they expected around 100,000 voters from the city’s District 2, including Barangay Batasan Hills, to come and cast their BSKE votes at the polling station.
The school principal said that they had assigned security guards to maintain peace and order, while Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) volunteers, members of the Barangay Board of Canvassers (BBOC), rescue and first aid volunteers were also present to provide assistance to persons in need. An ambulance was also prepared for deployment in case of emergency.
She reminded voters to think outside the box and always make sure that their cellphones are always ready in case of emergencies.
Rosal said that although some voters had troubles searching for their names at the voting precincts in the morning, they were given assistance and the voting in the school was smooth as of 9:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, in Batasan Hills National High School, PPCRV volunteers were seen assisting voters to find their voting precincts as soon as they enter the school premises.
Citing the Commission on Elections (Comelec), PPCRV coordinator Ranel Aloveros said that they were expecting 21,845 registered voters in the polling station.
Batasan Hills National High School Assistant Principal Cerino Castillo Jr. , the school’s DESO, said that the voting process in the school was in order and smooth although some residents failed to find their names in the list of voters posted outside their precincts.
He added that they advised these voters to coordinate with Comelec or check their names in other schools in the district, while others were assisted by the PPCRV.
Batasan Hills National High School has 64 clustered precincts and will be the main area for the canvassing of votes in the city’s second district, Castillo said.
Camarilla Elementary School Principal Jenneth Molinilla and 15th Avenue Elementary School Micheal Aba, both in QC’s District 3, also said that the voting process in the polling sites were peaceful and orderly.
Some of the voters who cast their votes at the schools were from Barangay Socorro which has over 19,000 registered voters.
In Navotas City, lawyer Gregorio Bonifacio of Comelec-Navotas said that the situation of voting in Dagat-dagatan Elementary School (DDES) in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South, the site for most of the voters registered in the city, was also smooth.
There are 17,721 registered regular voters and 5,848 SK voters assigned at DDES.
In Caloocan City, the voting site with the most number of voters assigned is Bagong Silang Elementary School.
It has a total of 90,209 regular voters and 24,301 SK voters.
The local government said that the conduct of the elections in the school was generally peaceful.
Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo “Along” Malapitan was also at the city hall to monitor the situation of the BSKE at schools in the city.
Comelec-Caloocan said that Barangay Bagong Silang has five voting centers and Bagong Silang Elementary School has 107 clustered precincts.
All schools in QC, Navotas, and Caloocan have Emergency Accessible Polling Precincts (EAPP) for senior citizens, pregnant women and PWDs, who are incapable of going to their precincts located on the higher floors of the buildings.
They were required to sign a waiver which allows EAPP personnel to drop their ballots in the boxes.
No untoward incidents occurred inside the schools during the voting period, the officials of the schools said.
Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco cast his vote at around 10:50 a.m. at the Navotas Elementary School.
Quezon City MayorJoy Belmonte also voted for the BSKE at Christ the King Parish in QC.
Meanwhile, Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo Along Malapitan also cast his vote at the Morning Breeze Elementary School at around 9 a.m. along with District 1 Representative Oscar “Oca” Malapitan.