PALAWAN DECIDES. Residents queue up at the Rio Tuba South Elementary School in Bataraza town, southern Palawan on Saturday (March 13, 2021) to vote in the plebiscite that will determine whether or not the province would be divided into three separate local government units. Bataraza is among the municipalities with the highest number of registered voters in Palawan. (Photo by Celeste Anna Formoso)
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – Most of Palawan's 472 polling places promptly opened at 7 a.m. on Saturday to welcome voters who would decide in a plebiscite whether the province becomes three distinct local government entities or remain as one.
Except for the island town of Kalayaan, which is distantly located in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and where the delivery of plebiscite paraphernalia was delayed due to rough weather conditions on Friday, "most of the polling places opened on time," Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez said.
"So far maganda ang nakikita natin. Most of the polling places na nag-report na sa amin have opened on time. Bagaman medyo maulan sa ibang lugar, tuloy-tuloy naman ang pagdating ng mga tao (So far, everything we're seeing is good. Most of the polling places that have reported to us opened on time. Although it rained in some areas, voters continue to arrive). Social distancing and other health precautions are being observed,” said Jimenez, who is currently in Palawan.
The province has 490,639 registered voters in 23 municipalities where the plebiscite is being conducted.
"It looks like it's going great, and hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy lang ito at sana dumami pa rin ang dumating para bumoto (Hopefully, this continues and more voters would come)," Jimenez added.
He confirmed the “logistical challenge” in Kalayaan due to bad weather but said a Philippine Air Force aircraft was ready to take off to the island town in the WPS.
“Nagka-problema tayo kahapon doon sa Kalayaan. And I think the people who are supposed to deliver the ballot had to turn back. Bumalik sila dahil malakas yong alon, pero nagawaan naman ng paraan (We had a problem in Kalayaan yesterday [Friday]. The people who were supposed to deliver the ballots had to return due to the strong waves. But this has been remedied),” Jimenez said, adding they were anticipating a slight delay in the opening of the polling places on the island.
“Pero sa tingin naman natin matutuloy pa rin (But based on our assessment, it will push through)," he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
As of press time, provincial Comelec spokesperson Jomel Ordas said a military plane left for Kalayaan at 9:40 a.m. and was expected to arrive there at noon with plebiscite supplies and personnel.
Jimenez however said there is no immediate plan to extend the voting hours in Kalayaan.
“With only 200 registered voters in Kalayaan, it is expected that voting will be completed within the originally allotted time, with voting hours being flexibly extended as needed, after the 3 p.m. deadline,” he said.
Safety first
Keeping Palawan residents safe from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a priority in the exercise, Jimenez said, noting that the response from schools on having isolation polling places (IPPs) has been according to standards.
Health officials serving the plebiscite are also wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).
"Naka-ready na yan yong mga nakabantay dyan na mga naka-PPE lahat (The poll watchers are ready. They are all wearing PPE),” Jimenez said.
He cited the use of individual booths for regular voters.
“(This) is something new to the Comelec. Kasi dati uupo lang sa isang chair, tapos will vote using a privacy voter. Ngayon meron na tayong polling booth for every individual voter (In the past, voters would just sit on a chair and fill out their ballots using a privacy voter. Now, we have a polling booth for each voter),” Jimenez said.
He said health protocols are being handled properly.
“As the day goes on, we will see that these measures are effective in keeping people safe from Covid-19 while they're voting in this pandemic election," he said.
Minor incident
As of 2 p.m., Jimenez reported one minor incident in the holding of the plebiscite.
“Thus far, we have received word of only one verified instance of an untoward incident, consisting of a report of certain barangay officials refusing to give health declaration forms to some voters. The matter was immediately responded to and voters were allowed to exercise their right of suffrage,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Jose Alvarez voted at about 7:20 a.m. at the San Vicente Central School in San Vicente town where he is a registered voter. (with reports from Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
