MANILA, Philippines – It was smooth sailing on Monday, May 14, as voters made their way to the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, St Paul University Quezon City, as well exclusive clubhouses and gyms – voting sites for residents of some of the Philippines' affluent communities.
Voters from Barangay Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa City; Barangay Mariana in New Manila, Quezon City; and Barangay Forbes Park and Barangay San Lorenzo in Makati City arrived at the venues to cast their votes for their local officials.
The barangay elections is the first in 5 years, while the simultaneous Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections is the first in 8 years. Several laws were previously passed to postpone these elections before.
Residents of Barangay Mariana voted at the gym of the privately-run St Paul University, spacious for a voter population of about 5,000.
There were colored maps to help voters locate which corner in the gym they were assigned. Nuns who served as watchdogs and election personnel, with their walkie-talkies, were quick to assist residents.
Charlie Dauag, an election supervisor from the Department of Education (DepEd), was a happy camper. He couldn't help but compare the situation from the Camp Crame barangay he supervised in the last elections.
"Malayong pagkakaiba. Pagdating sa peace and order, dito sa Mariana, maayos. Pagdating din sa physical arrangement, dito maayos pa rin," he said. (It's a big difference. In terms of peace and order, Mariana is peaceful. When it comes to physical arrangements, it is also orderly.)
"'Yung mga voters hindi very crowded. One at a time dumarating. Very relaxed para sa mga BEIs (board of election inspectors)," he added. (The voters aren't very crowded. They come one at a time. The BEIs are very relaxed.)
Meanwhile, in Barangay Ayala Alabang, voters looked for their names manually on a list posted by the gates of the De La Salle Santiago Zobel School.
Voters could also go inside and locate their precincts with help from volunteer students at the voters' assistance desk.
Fernando Navarra, a poll watcher and former head of the Barangay Ayala Alabang Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), said an organized system was top priority.
"That has always been our focus since about 3 years ago. We wanted an orderly flow because things can be messy, especially after what we saw in the last presidential election [in 2016]," he said.
"[In the 2016 polls], we saw a lot of disenfranchised voters who thought their names were on the lists but [apparently] not. Cases like that deprive people of their right to vote and the opportunity to choose someone they wish to lead us."
Residents were able to finish voting in about 10 minutes or less. (READ: Voters persist despite problems in barangay, SK polls)
There was a designated room for persons with disabilities (PWDs) located on the first floor of the school. (READ: Senior citizens left to vote alone in barangay elections 2018)
PPCRV student volunteers were also posted along the hallways to direct the movement of voters.
PPCRV officials earlier said that about 20% to 25% of the 10,000 registered voters in Barangay Ayala Alabang were expected to vote, based on the turnout from previous local elections.
Navarra said there wasn't much competition this year, as candidates for both barangay ang SK positions ran uncontested.
In Barangay Forbes Park, residents also experienced worry-free voting with stations set up inside an airconditioned room in a clubhouse.
Volunteers from the Santuario de San Antonio Parish assisted voters from Barangay Forbes Park.
Like in other exclusive villages, residents were also assisted by volunteers who helped locate their names on the list of voters.
Similar scenes were also observed in Barangay San Lorenzo. Residents voted at the gym inside San Lorenzo Village.
Among the voters were senior citizens, aided by volunteers and helpers.
The venue for voting had bright, spacious scenes where residents finished the voting process quickly and stress-free.
Water stations were also set up.
Voting for the barangay and SK elections began at 7 am and closed at 3 pm on Monday.
– with reports from Sofia Tomacruz & Carmela Fonbuena / Rappler.com
