By Rean Marco Regno and Celestil Bernas
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – At 5 a.m. on May 12, jeepneys bound for Maa were already packed. There are the usual early commuters of young BPO workers, mothers coming from the market, and joggers going home. Most of the passengers, though, were elderly, dressed as if they were heading for church, as they disembarked in Maa Central Elementary School to cast their votes.
With around 4,412 senior citizens registered to vote in Maa, precincts in Maa Central Elementary came alive at the first minute of Comelec’s early voting period, designated for seniors, pregnant women and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
When asked why they had to bother waking up to cast their votes, Lola Jean, 62, said, “Mamili ko kung kinsa akong pili-on. Malipay man pod ta kung makabotar (I want to choose who I want to vote for. I’ll be happy if I get to vote).”
She was glad to find her name on the precinct’s list this year. Last election, she was unable to vote as she couldn’t find her name on the voter’s list, so she had to go home without casting her vote.
“Peaceful” is how 80-year old Nanay Rose described her voting experience as she felt they were accommodated and assisted in the voting precincts.
Norma Javellana, an environmentalist and Datu Bago awardee, was impressed how easy the early voting system turned out.
“Oh, wow! Ganahan kaayo ko because ang COMELEC, naghatag sila og oras na 5 to 7 [AM] for senior citizens. Sayon ra. Pag abot nako sa listahan daghan og volunteer (I like this because Comelec allotted 5 to 7 AM for senior citizens. It’s easy. When I arrived at the voters’ listing there were many volunteers),” she said.
In various areas in the school grounds, volunteers from different groups such as the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) who are mostly young adults were responding to the queries of voters who had difficulty navigating through voters lists for their names and clusters.
Even the school’s Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) volunteered, as they are familiar with the school layout as they helped voters.
The joint efforts of teachers and volunteers to aid senior citizens showed an improvement compared to previous years.
But the experience for many voters for the rest of the day was a different situation.
By 7:43 a.m., voters began to arrive, and murmurings were already heard. Lines were getting longer, people with creased faces and folded arms, their eyes wandered around perhaps asking when will their turn to vote come next.
Some pregnant women – who were supposed to have come earlier in the priority schedule – were not given chairs to sit.
While the prioritization of the elderly, pregnant women and PWD were improvements, observers hope more changes can be made to address the problems of congested precincts and the lack of designated spaces. (davaotoday.com)
Elections
