Senate bets, local candidates among early bird voters
Senatorial bets and local candidates, including government officials and other personalities, cast their vote on Monday as poll precincts opened for the 2019 midterm elections.
Voting early in their respective home provinces were reelectionist Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and former senator Manuel Roxas II. Pimentel voted in Cagayan de Oro City while Roxas voted in Roxas City.
Otso Diretso senatorial bet Bam Aquino went early at the Concepcion South Central Elementary School in Tarlac to vote.
Actor Lito Lapid arrived at Porac Elementary School to cast his vote after voting precincts opened at 6 a.m.
Thirty minutes after polls opened, administration candidate Francis Tolentino also cast his vote in one of the polling precincts at Francisco P. Tolentino Memorial High School in Tagaytay. He is running under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago slate.
In Davao del Sur, former police chief Ronald dela Rosa voted in Bato Elementary School with his sister Grace while Otso Diretso senatorial candidate and Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano cast his vote in his hometown, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.
The other earliest voters were HNP candidates JV Ejercito and Bong Revilla. Revilla was accompanied by his wife, Bacoor City reelectionist Mayor Lani and son, Cavite reelectionist Vice Governor Jolo Revilla.
Some local candidates also trooped to the voting places about a couple of hours after polls opened Monday.
San Juan mayoral candidate Francis Zamora cast his vote at Xavier School in San Juan City about two hours after the precincts opened.
Zamora, a former vice mayor, is once again trying to break Estrada's 50-year rule in the city by going up against incumbent Vice Mayor Janella Ejercito.
Zamora said he went to vote early in order to monitor the situation in the city.
"Kumpara noong 2016 mas tahimik ngayon. I will accept the results basta malinis ang eleksyon," said Zamora, who filed an election protest
after the 2016 election where he lost to outgoing Mayor Guia Gomez.
Isko Moreno also arrived early at the Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School to vote, where he experienced a malfunctioning vote counting machine, delaying the polling process.
Mayor Joseph Estrada’s daughter Jerika, who is vying for a council seat in the fourth district of Manila, was also spotted at the P. Burgos Elementary School to cast her vote.
Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio also voted at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City early Monday.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Jejomar Binay got furious after his ballot was repeatedly rejected by the vote counting machine. He cast his vote at around 7:35 a.m. at the San Antonio National High School.
He filed a complaint before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In a television interview, Binay, who is running as first district congressman of Makati City, said what happened to him is an orchestrated attempt to disenfranchise voters.
“I am very angry because the VCM rejected my vote,” he said in Filipino. “First the ballot they gave the person that was before me has a stain. I am very disappointed. Why did they not give me new ballot,” Binay said.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar also cast his vote at Pedro E. Diaz High School in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
While, other personalities, including veteran actress Susan Roces, mother of reelectionist Senator Grace Poe, and Butch Robredo, brother of late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, also cast their votes.
Data from the Comelec showed more than 61 million registered voters will decide the fate of 43,554 candidates vying for 18,072 seats.
Elective positions up for grabs are 12 Senate seats, 245 seats for the House of Representatives, 81 each for governors and vice governors, 780 provincial board members, 145 each for city mayors and vice mayors, 1,489 each for municipal mayors and vice mayors, 1,628 for city councilors, and 11,916 for municipal councilors.