Marcos casts vote, cites importance of barangay polls

MANILA, Philippines — As he cast his vote in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) yesterday, President Marcos admitted receiving reports of vote buying despite vigorous efforts of his administration to stop the practice.

Marcos arrived at his polling precinct at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City, Ilocos Norte at 7:04 a.m. and queued for his turn to vote. He finished voting at 7:12 a.m.

“Unfortunately, there are still people who try to go around, especially at night. Last night there were some reports, even here in Ilocos Norte, there are people going around buying votes for this barangay election,” Marcos told reporters in Filipino when asked about reports of rampant vote buying.

Marcos urged Filipinos to exercise their right to choose the leaders of their community and reminded them of the sanctity of their votes.

He cited the crucial role played by barangay executives in the delivery of government services at the local level.

“Don’t throw away your right to choose who will lead in your areas, in your barangays,” Marcos said in Filipino.

“If you sell your votes, you’ll lose your voice and you will not be able to choose who should really lead your barangay and who can really help you deal with various problems that you face every day,” the President said.

Marcos said the Philippine National Police and the Commission on Elections were closely monitoring the situation to address vote-buying.

“We will do our part, as the government, we will do our part to continue to enforce all of the laws that do not allow the use of vote-buying as a part of the campaign,” he said.

The President said this year’s barangay polls are significant, as they would likely affect the results of the midterm elections and eventually the national elections.

“The result of this is very important for our politicians, the result of the barangay elections is very important and that’s why in our assessment, sometimes the barangay election becomes very heated because it is really crucial and it is held at the very intimate, personal level and that’s why sometimes it gets very hot, so that’s what we want to avoid,” he said.

Marcos declared Oct. 30 a non-working day in the entire country to allow Filipinos to participate in the BSKE.

Marcos signed Republic Act 11935 on Oct. 10, 2022, moving the Dec. 5, 2022 BSKE to the last Monday of October this year.

Under RA 11935, the synchronized BSKE shall be held on the last Monday of October 2023 and “every three years thereafter.”

The barangay and SK polls had been repeatedly postponed since 2016.

The October 2016 barangay and SK polls were postponed to October 2017, then to May 2018 and again to December 2022.

In Davao City, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte cast her vote at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Barangay Matina Crossing at past 8:50 a.m.

The Vice President encouraged voters to go out and vote in the polls, pointing out the importance of the village elections in local governance.

Her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, has not voted yet as of press time. He was expected to vote in the same precinct.

Officials and members of the House of Representatives joined the BSKE and cast their votes too.

Former president and now Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo voted in her hometown, Lubao Elementary School in Pampanga, while President Marcos’ lawmaker-son, Rep. Sandro Marcos, cast his vote in Barangay Calayab, Laoag City in Ilocos Norte province.

Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee, exercised his right to vote in Barangay Peñafrancia in Daraga municipality in the province of Albay. — Delon Porcalla, Edith Regalado, Sheila Crisostomo