Some young individuals in Marikina City cast their votes during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday, Oct. 30, to elect fresh faces with good governance policies in the local level.
Krisha Angelica Santos, 25, told Manila Bulletin that she wants elected officers who bring new ideas for her community in Marikina.
“Maraming halos magkaparehas ang plataporma yung mga tumatakbo. For me, if ever man itong mga bagong tumatakbo na ito ay bago naman. Gusto ko naman yung may maipapakita sila na hindi nila paulit-ulit na ginagawa at may totoong pagbabago silang magagawa sa barangay dito sa Marikina (There are many candidates who have the same platforms. For me, I’m looking for new people. I want leaders who can show things that they’ve not just been repeating and bring true change to barangays here in Marikina),” she said.
She noted that repeated programs are a good thing only if they bring positive contributions to the community.
Santos is also among many youth volunteers at voting precincts at the Sto. Niño Elementary School in Marikina City.
She shared that she initially had no intentions of volunteering, but she was encouraged to join because she is hopeful of some of their running candidates and wanted to show support.
“Meron naman akong nakikitang deserving na tao na tumatakbo na karapatdapat naman manalo. Hopefully pag manalo man siya, magampanan niya yung tungkulin niya (I did see candidates who deserve to win. Hopefully, if they win, they can fulfill their roles and responsibilities),” Santos said.
The BSKE does not usually draw as many crowds as the presidential, senatorial, or even mayoral elections. However, for a 26-year-old male voter in the Sto. Niño Marikina precinct, citizens must still exercise their rights to suffrage.
“Syempre right parin naman natin bumoto kahit hindi nasyonal, part parin siya ng government kaya importante parin sating mga Pilipino na bumoto (Of course, it’s our right to vote even if its not a national election, it’s still part of our government. That’s why its important for us Filipinos to still vote),” he said.
For him and Santos, the SKs in Marikina are effective since their programs have positive effects on the community.
“Mararamdaman mo naman na may nagagawa sila kaya ang mga tao eager bumoto kasi may nangyayari sa SK. Hindi lang siya yung for display (Since their projects are felt and seen in the community, people are eager to vote. It’s not just for display),” he said.
While some people are voting for the same reasons as these Marikeños, others like a 23-year-old male Pasig resident are voting for more practical purposes.
Speaking to Manila Bulletin, he said his primary reason for voting was to make bureaucratic or application processes easier for him in the city since he just recently moved to Pasig from the province.
Even if it was his first time to vote in the city, he said he was able to find his precinct immediately and was easily able to cast his vote at the Pasig Elementary School.
Hundreds of residents in Marikina and Pasig cities flocked to their respective voting precincts for the 2023 BSKE from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Voters Assistance Desks were set up manned by volunteers from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), along with other help desks to address voters' concerns and inquiries.
The precinct at the Sto. Niño Elementary School had special rooms for Emergency Accessible Polling Places (EAPPs) and Accessible Polling Places (APPs), mostly occupied by senior citizens and persons with disabilities. It also accommodated individuals who cannot access precincts that are at the upper floors of the school buildings.
The Pasig Elementary School also had separate PPCRV desks per barangay since the precinct serves residents from Barangays Sto. Tomas, Malinao, and Kapasigan among others.
Common complaints heard in the precincts were the far voting rooms for some clusters in the top floors of the three to five-storey buildings in both schools, and the difficulty in finding voters' names on the lists per cluster plastered on the boards and walls around the campus.
A Marikina voter commented that some precincts may have been reshuffled, making it more difficult to find their new cluster numbers, unlike the ease in their voting experience during the 2022 national elections. If there were, they were also not notified of the changes beforehand, he said.
The BSKE 2023 allows citizens the opportunity to elect a new batch of barangay officials and SK leaders to help the local government fulfill its programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) at the grassroots level.
Eligible citizens aged 15 to 17 can only vote for the SK candidates, while those aged 31 and above can only vote for barangay candidates. Residents who can vote for both barangay and SK are voters aged 18 to 30.
Marikina Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro voted at the San Roque Elementary School, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto at Valle Verde, and Pasig Vice Mayor at Bagong Ilog Elementary School.