Senior citizens cast vote via express lane

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique -- Senior citizens, who came early to exercise their right of suffrage, said the express lane established in the polling precincts was very helpful for them.

Eden Enriquez, 85 years old of Barangay Mag-aba in Pandan town, said in an interview the express lane has spared them from waiting hours. “The express lane is of much help to us,” she said.

Shea added that aside from being given priority they were also provided with classroom desks so that they could sit as they are waiting for other seniors and even persons with disability and pregnant mothers to finish.

Another senior citizen Eulogio Roquero, 79, also of Mag-aba, said the express lane allowed him to cast his vote early.

“I wanted to vote early so I could still do my other responsibilities at home,” he said.

Likewise, Philip Tambuong, who is 67 years old from Magaba, said that he has still work in the farm that is why he wanted to vote early.

“I am glad there is this express lane,” he said.

The Commission on Elections has established express lanes in all polling precincts so that senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD) and heavily

pregnant mothers could be spared from waiting long outside of the polling precincts.

Meanwhile, Department of Education Pandan District Supervisor Julian Ambay said that so far, they have not encountered any last minute problems in accommodating the voters.

“The voting started on time,” he said.

Ambay supervises 32 public schools in Pandan, which he will also visit to oversee the election process.

Comelec’s Antique provincial office urged the 371,244 registered voters in the province to come early to the polling centers in order to cast their votes.

Antique has 521 polling centers in its 18 municipalities.

Mark Natividad, a teacher at the Sibalom Elementary School, said that days ahead they had been preparing the classrooms that would be used as polling precincts.

He said the classrooms have enough lighting so voters would not have difficulty as they exercise their right of suffrage.

“We also have express lanes established for the senior citizens, heavily pregnant mothers, and persons with disability,” he said.

He added that the adjacent rooms to the polling precincts had also been opened so that in case there would be rain the senior citizens, heavily pregnant mothers and persons with disability would be able to stay in those rooms.

Sibalom Municipal Election Officer Deogracias Maguad, on the other hand, advised voters to come prepared with their list of candidates to help ensure that there is smooth election process.

“If the voters come prepared with their list of candidates they could avoid having erasures in their ballots,” he said.