By Lily O. Ramos
MANILA, (PNA) — Monday casting of votes will definitely stop at 3 p.m so counting would start immediately, said head teacher Victoria Fernando of Espana’s Ramon Magsaysay High School (RMHS)at Espana Blvd.
”With the continuous flow of enthusiastic people since this morning, about 75 per cent have already cast their votes by 12 noon. Hopefully, everybody will go home happy that they have done their duty in electing responsible barangay officials to serve them in the next three years,” Fernando said.
The school atmosphere has suddenly changed into noisy and festive mood with food carts, fruit drinks, ice cream and all sorts of merchandise sprouting on the streets of Don Quijote and Dos Castillas and the main road by 10 a.m.and lots of leaflets, pamphlets, caricatures and styrofoam have disgustingly accumulated all over the streets.
On the other hand, a handful of persons with disabilities were waiting for help from their relatives young poll volunteers to either help them climb up to the building’s fourth floor or do something to help them vote on the ground floor since the big public school has no elevator
”I have been here since 8 a.m. My neighbor has not yet arrived to help me walk because of my arthritis. A young man said he will get me forms so I can vote right here on the ground,” said a one-legged man in his mid – 50s who refused to identify himself.
It could have been comfortable for the physically challenged if a table was put up on the ground or first floor for them, including the aged who still want to participate in the elections.
A trip to Legarda Elementary School suggested it has outstripped RMHS this year with 19,457 registered voters.
Bounded by Craig St, Quintas and Fajardo Sts. at Bgy. 522, the sprawling school is currently enjoying a fiesta atmosphere with eating, singing and campaigning some 50 meters away from the main door.
Meanwhile, a teacher keeps blaring on a megaphone for residents who are already through voting to please leave the place to avoid overcrowding.
A UST college student, Josua G. Mariano, deputized by Commission on Election (Comelec) as poll watcher described the process as peaceful but enumerated problems they were encountering.
”First, not a few voters were disenfranchised because their names could not be found in the Comelec master list even if they have voted in the last national election. Youths who are voting for the first time are fortunate if they find their names too.
”Then there’s these flying voters who claim they have changed residence and have already registered in their new barangays. The trouble is barangay officials claim they do not know them and have never seen them within their vicinity,” rued Mariano.
Mariano said some of the so-called flying voters eventually found their way to their former precincts after hours of searching and tripping to-and-fro from their new and old polling places.
Other youth volunteers said the Comelec’s master list has not been updated with the roster posted by the poll body containing some dead people’s names while longtime, genuine and living voters have been scratched off.
Others suggested Comelec must list down the names of voters in alphabetical order in their particular address for easier location because there are
A visit to Araullo High School of Taft Ave. produced similar problems– including some more garbage mounting horizontally and vertically at 12 high noon.
Many were still searching for their names to no avail then decided to leave after a fruitless research.
Don Alejandro Albert School in Dapitan was no exception on a hot and sweltering day of this year’s barangay election.