IMUS CITY, Cavite — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Calabarzon is ‘all set and ready’ for the conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) manual elections on Monday, May 14.
In a phone interview on Thursday, Comelec Region 4A Director Atty. Juanito Icaro said all electoral boards, including poll watchers, will be ready “with the needed systems and supplies” as early as 6 a.m. on Monday, to accept the influx of voters from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on that day.
Icaro advised voters to vote early, wear comfortable clothing and bring protection against the sun and heat.
“Since this (election) is more personal in nature, where neighbors and relatives are competing now, let’s keep our cool on that day,” Icaro added.
He said to minimize waiting/cue time, voters are advised to prepare their list of bets as the balloting is unlike in the automated elections where candidates are presented in multiple choice type.
“Since we do manual elections now, they need to write the names of candidates in their voting form,” he said.
Voters are likewise advised to check their reference number on the list posted outside their assigned precinct for a quicker turn around when it is their time to vote.
The Comelec Regional Director urged registered voters to exercise their right to vote, “because this is the true essence of democracy.”
Comelec hotlines 0995.4636274 (Globe) and 0929.4607717 (Smart) may also be contacted by voters to report any incident, or if they have queries of concerns related to the village and youth polls.
Icaro will join the Regional Election Monitoring and Action Center (REMAC) at Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba, Laguna on Monday.
“But I will be going around and monitor the situation during that day,” Icaro said.
The canvassing of votes will start at 6 p.m. on Monday within the premises of the school, “that’s why the counting will be fast,” Icaro added. (Gladys Pino/PNA)
