Thousands flocked to the voting precincts in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces Cavite, Bulacan, and Rizal for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday, Oct. 30, with voters experiencing both smooth and tedious voting processes.
The voting precincts were swarmed by eager voters, some of whom had lined up at 6 a.m. before the opening of the polls at 7 a.m.
The venues were equipped with location maps of the school campuses, voter master lists containing the cluster numbers and designated rooms of voters, voter's assistance desks staffed by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and other help desks to cater to voters' concerns and inquiries.
Special Emergency Accessible Polling Places (EAPP) were installed for senior citizens, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities (PWDs), along with Accessible Polling Places (APP) to cater to other individuals who may need additional guidance when voting.
Police assistance desks have also been set up at the gates of the schools, along with aid desks manned by members of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the provincial and city health offices, and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (DRRMO).
Government officials in NCR also voted along with the public during the BSKE. These include San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora at Xavier School, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay and her husband, Makati City District 2 Rep. Luis Campos at the Nemesio Yabut Elementary School; Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos and his wife Mandaluyong Vice Mayor Menchi Abalos at Highway Hills Integrated School; Marikina Mayor Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro at San Roque Elementary School; Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and Vice Mayor Robert Jaworski Jr. at Valle Verde and Bagong Ilog Elementary School respectively; Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco at Navotas Elementary School, Caloocan Mayor Dale Along Malapitan at Morning Breeze Elementary School, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte at Christ the King Parish.
Smooth, fast voting
Overall, smooth sailing procedures have been reported in majority of the polling precincts in the region and provinces, and received positive feedback from voters.
Rita, a 51-year-old voter of Barangay Commonwealth in Quezon City, said that although she initially experienced difficulty in finding the building of her precinct, she was assisted by personnel in the school to locate the assigned room for her to cast her vote.
"Napakabilis po ng proseso tsaka hindi po nakakalito kasi bawat kanto may paskil ng mga presinto. Madami ding bentilador kaya preskong presko po sa botohan (The process is very quick and not confusing because there are bulletins and guides on each corner of the school showing each precincts' location. There are also a lot of electric fans which makes voting much more comfortable)," said Roland, a senior citizen who voted in Xavier School in San Juan City.
Lola Antonina, a 72-year-old senior Makatizen who voted at the Nemesio Yabut Elementary School, said the voting system in the school was very convenient for senior citizens because of the establishment of special voting areas on the ground floor of the school dedicated for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD).
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) chose Muntinlupa City as one of the pilot areas for the "Early Voting Hours Project," which allowed senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and heavily pregnant residents to vote from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Seniors were seen lining up at the polling areas as early as 4 a.m., said Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon.
More than 100,000 registered voters were expected to cast their ballots in Quezon City, Navotas and Caloocan. According to the school officials of President Corazon Aquino Elementary School, Bataan Hills National High School, Dagat-dagatan Elementary School, and Camarilla Elementary School, no untoward incidents were reported in their areas during the voting period.
Around 1,234 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) from the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory were also able to vote for the BSKE.
The Francisco and Fernando families from Sitio Gulod, San Vicente, who voted at Gulod, San Vicente Elementary School in Bulacan, said that they observed that the election in their village was orderly and peaceful because the candidates observed the value of sportsmanship and respected the will of the voters.
Long queues, delays
Several voters in Baseco Compound, Port Area, Manila, experienced voting delays, with over 100 voters saying their names were missing from the voters' lists in 31 polling precincts at Pres. Corazon Aquino High School and 60 polling precincts at Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Elementary School. Around 32,624 registered voters were expected to vote in these two schools.
The same situation occurred to voters in Gregorio Perfecto High School and Rosauro Almario Elementary School, both in Tondo, Manila. Around 44,000 voters were expected to vote in Gregorio, covering eight barangays.
According to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), some voters reportedly did not bring their valid IDs, while others presented voting stubs in lieu of an official voter's ID. However, they were not included in the master lists.
Voters with missing names were advised to report their concerns to the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Main Office in Intramuros, but some voters opted to return home.
"Ngayon lang ito nangyari sa akin. Nakaboto naman kami nung nakaraan. Akala namin makakaboto kami pero pagdating namin dito hindi namin mahanap pangalan namin. Sabi nila sa Intramuros daw kami magrekalo. Uuwi na lang kami (This is the first time it happened to me. We were able to vote last time. We thought we could vote but when we arrived here, we cannot find our names. They asked us to go to Intramuros to complain. We will just go home)," said Linda, 49.
Time constraints also marred voters as 1,670 voters in Quezon City were still waiting in line even as the polls closed at 3 p.m. 500 of these voters were at Tandang Sora Elementary School, 400 at Placido Del Mundo Elementary School, 300 at Ismael Mathay Sr. High School, 400 at L.R. Pascual Elementary School, and 200 at Balon Bato Elementary School. Some other schools also still had 30 to 50 persons left in their queue.
Election for the youth
Despite the mixed voting experiences, many voters, particularly young people, still found fulfillment in casting their votes. Unlike the national or mayoral elections, the BSKE allows voters aged 15 to 19 to vote for SK candidates, while 18 to 30-year-olds can vote for both SK and barangay candidates.
Krisha Angelica Santos, 25 and a BSKE volunteer at the Sto. Niño Elementary School, told Manila Bulletin that she wants to elect fresh faces who will bring new ideas in Marikina.
"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 (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.
Cousins KC Mendoza and Danica Cledera, who came to the Carmona National High School polling precinct in Cavite, said they aimed to vote wisely specifically for SK posts.
“Challenging po. ‘Yung iba po kilala ko, 'yung iba po hindi. Tinandaan ko lang po yung mga sinabi nila, (It is challenging. Some of them, I know and some of them, I do not. I just remembered what they said during the campaign)” Mendoza said.
“Kinilala ko po talaga, pinili ko po 'yung karapat-dapat po talaga sa SK kagawad (I really tried to get to know them, I chose those who are deserving to be SK councilors),” Cledera chimed in.
Many young voters also expressed wanting to exercise their rights to vote in this election.
“Syempre right pa rin naman natin bumoto kahit hindi nasyonal, part parin siya ng government kaya importante parin sa 'ting 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 it's important for us Filipinos to still vote),” said a 26-year-old male voter in Marikina City.