Comelec vows to prioritize elderly during polls

MANILA, Philippines – The envisioned separate polling precincts for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD) may not be established by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in time for the May 2016 polls, but it assured them of “priority” on election day.

In a minute resolution dated Dec. 23, the Comelec approved the recommendation to create a consolidated project of precincts with accessible polling place (APP) instead of creating the specialized precincts.

This means that senior citizens and PWDs will “accomplish the ballots in the polling place together with the other voters assigned to the cluster.”

The Comelec, however, gave assurance that a separate area in the polling place shall be assigned for the exclusive use of the elderly and PWDs in accomplishing their ballots. Assistive devices and experts’ services will also be given to the PWDs who need some help.

Under the law, the Comelec is authorized to create at least one APP exclusive for senior citizens and PWDs in a voting center.

But executive director Jose Tolentino Jr., deputy executive director for operations Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. and election and barangay affairs department director Teofisto Elnas Jr. recommended the clustering because of the minimal number of elderly and PWDs who signified their intent to be assigned to an APP.

“It is impractical to assign a vote counting machine (VCM) for the exclusive use of voters of non-territorial precincts,” they noted in their recommendation.

“Non-territorial precincts assigned to APP are in addition to the regular territorial precincts. Since the number of leased VCM… was based only on the total projected number of clustered territorial precincts, non-territorial precincts assigned to APP can no longer be issued with any VCM,” the Comelec noted.

The poll body added that the clustering of precincts is necessary because a VCM is assigned to a clustered precinct not only for voting but also for counting of votes.

“Since the VCMs are allocated only to clustered precincts, both territorial and non-territorial precincts must always belong to a cluster in order (for) ballots (to) be counted under the automated election system,” the resolution stated.