Temperature checks, face masks required in voting that starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m.
(Eagle News) – The first-ever national and local elections amid the Covid-19 pandemic opens today, Monday, May 9, with 10 candidates vying for the presidency, and nine bets vying for the vice-presidency.
There are 12 senate seats up for grabs, as well as 316 seats to the House of Representatives, 81 seats for governor and vice governor, 782 seats to provincial boards in provinces, 146 seats for city mayor and vice mayor, and 1,650 seats to city councils in all cities, 1,488 municipal mayoralty seats and vice mayoralty seats, and 11,908 seats to municipal councils in all municipalities.
The Commission on Elections described the May 9, 2022 elections as historic with its challenges to ensure not only the safety of the polls, but also the health and safety of the 65.8 million registered voters in the Philippines who are expected to troop to the polls.
Elections open at 6 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. nationwide.
Because of the pandemic, all voters will undergo temperature checks and will have to wear face masks.
-Vaccine cards, face shields, antigen tests not required-
The Comelec said that antigen tests and face shields are not required, nor are vaccination cards.
As long as a voter is registered and considered active, he or she can vote, according to Comelec commissioner George Garcia.
“Ano po ang kailangang dalhin ng atin pong botante para bumoto? Kailangan po ba ng face shield na katulad ng nabanggit ninyo? Kailangan po ba ng RT-PCR test or rapid antigen test? At kailangan po ba na may vaccination card? Ang lahat po ng ito ay hindi kakailanganin. Uulitin ko po, hindi kailangan sa pagboto. Wala pong face shield na kailangan. Wala pong antigen test at wala pong RT-PCR, kahit po vaccination card ay hindi po kailangan. Basta ang ang inyong pangalan ay active at nakalista sa listahan ng mga botante sa bawat presinto at kayo po ay naka-face mask, kayo po ay makakaboto,” Garcia said in a recent Malacanang press briefing.
Because the period of campaigning is already over, all those in the precincts should not carry any campaign materials, nor wear shirts with the image or name of any candidate, he said.
-Isolation polling precincts for those with symptoms-
Garcia said that those with Covid-19 symptoms could still vote in the so-called “isolation polling precincts” where all the staff wear PPEs.
Social distancing is required in these isolation polling precincts.
“Iyong isolation polling precincts po ay maaari sa bawat isang pagkakataon, lima ang makakapasok na mga botante. Iyong mga iba pang botante na may nararamdaman, may sintomas, sila ay ilalagay muna sa isang area na kung saan mas maayos, at the same time ay medyo mayroon pong social distancing,” Garcia said.
“Ngayon po, doon po sa ating isolation polling precincts, mayroon po tayong mga staff, support staff na naka-PPE po silang lahat diyan. So ibig sabihin, protektado, at ang mga balota po nila ay dadalhin mula sa kanilang regular na presinto papunta po dito sa isolation polling precinct,” the Comelec official explained.
If a voter has a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius and above, he or she would be asked to rest for a while, and then the voter’s temperature will again be checked. If the temperature is still high, the voter will be asked to vote in the isolation polling precinct.
What if a voter who is already at the polling precinct turned out to be Covid-19 positive? Garcia said that the voter can still vote as this is a constitutional right.
The Comelec official said he is not discounting the possibility that there could be asymptomatic Covid cases in the voting area, meaning the voter has no Covid symptoms and does not know he has Covid.
“Ngayon po, paano kung ang nakapila ay iyon pala ay COVID-19 positive kaya lang ay asymptomatic, ibig sabihin ay wala namang nararamdaman, wala namang makitang sintomas man lamang sa kaniya, makakaboto po ba? Wala po tayong choice kung hindi pabotohin iyan.
Iyan po ay isang constitutional right ng isang Filipino and therefore, makakapasok at makakapunta pa po siya sa regular na presinto kung saan siya nakarehistro,” Garcia said.
-Voters who have lined up within 30 meters from precinct can still vote at 7 p.m.-
The Comelec commissioner also clarified that at 7 p.m., voters who are still waiting in line at the precinct could still vote, provided they are within a radius of 30 meters.
“Ang pagbubukas po ng presinto sa Lunes ay magsisimula ng alas sais ng umaga at ito po ay matatapos ng alas siete ng gabi. Subalit kung may mga botante pa po tayo na gustong makahabol kahit ito ay alas siete na ng gabi, pupuwede pa rin po basta ang layo po nila sa mismong presinto ay tatlumpung metro. Papayagan po silang makaboto ng ating mga electoral boards, iyong mga teachers po natin na nasa loob ng presinto,” he said.
-Emergency polling precincts for elderly, PWDs-
The elderly and persons with disabilities could also vote in special emergency polling precincts, so they do not have to go to the regular polling precincts.
“Mayroon po tayong tinatawag na parang special precinct para po sa mga nakatatanda o sa mga PWD na ayaw pong bumoto doon sa kanilang pinagbobotohan na presinto. Emergency Polling Precinct po ang tawag po natin diyan kung saan sila po ay pupuwedeng doon na bumoto kaysa sila ay aakyat,” Garcia said.
“Ibig sabihin, iyon pong mga balota po nila ay dadalhin na lamang sa kanila para doon po sila bumoto. Ito po ay pagpapatas-patasin at later on po, after ng voting, ito po ay ibabalik sa mga presinto kung saan kinuha at doon talaga regular na botante iyong mga nakatatanda natin,” he added.
Pursuant to Republic Act 9369, the May 2022 national and local elections will again be fully automated, as it was with the national and local elections last May 2010, 2013, May 2016, and May 2019.
(Eagle News Service)