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BSKE 2023 voting starts in some areas for seniors, PWDs, pregnant women
Voting for senior citizens, persons with disability (PWDs), and heavily pregnant women started at 5 a.m. in Muntinlupa City and in Naga City, Camarines Sur on Monday.
For the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) held a pilot test of early voting for the three special sectors.
Ang Early Voting Hours ay para lamang sa mga rehistradong botante ng MUNTINLUPA CITY, NCR at NAGA CITY, CAMARINES SUR na kabilang sa mga sumusunod na sektor
— COMELEC (@COMELEC) October 29, 2023
? Persons With Disability (PWDs)
? Senior Citizens at
? Heavily Pregnant Women #EarlyVotingHours#BSKE2023 pic.twitter.com/OdS8KRVHXc
Persons who are part of these sectors were able to cast their votes from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Although the Comelec has set a special time exclusively for senior citizens, PWDs, and pregnant women, they are still allowed to vote during the regular hours of voting which will run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Earlier, the Comelec explained that the early voting option is tested for the 2023 BSKE in view of the passage of a law for it.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said that the early voting for select individuals will be expanded nationwide during the National and Local elections and BSKE in 2025 should its pilot run be successful.
“Nag-pilot test muna tayo ng early voting hours habang naghihintay ang Comelec ng Early Voting Law. Gusto kasi talaga ipursige ng Comelec na isang linggo bago ang eleksyon, makakaboto ang mga nakatatanda, ang mga may kapansanan, ang mga nagdadalang tao, at kasama na rin ang IPs. Dapat hindi sila sinasabay sa mga regular na botante upang mas maayos ang kanilang pagboto,” he said in an ambush interview.
(We conducted a pilot test of early voting hours while the Comelec is waiting for the Early Voting Law. The Comelec really wants the elderly, PWDs, pregnant women, and indigenous people to be able to vote a week before the election. They should not vote along with the regular voters so that they can vote more smoothly.)
Garcia personally inspected the pilot run of the early voting at the Muntinlupa Elementary School on Monday at 5 a.m.
There are over 51,000 senior citizens and 2,000 PWDs in Muntinlupa City.
Garcia said PWDs, senior citizens, and pregnant women who will vote early are allowed one companion, who can also vote in the same polling precinct.
He also said that electoral board members in Muntinlupa City and Naga City will be given an additional P2,000 in honoraria for their service for early voting.
“Kasama na rin po lahat ng electoral board members na maglilingkod at naglilingkod diyan sa Bulacan sa ating plebesito sa pagiging highly urbanized city ng San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan,” he added.
(This includes all the electoral board members who will serve and are serving in our plebiscite in Bulacan for the conversion of San Jose del Monte into a highly urbanized city.)
According to the Comelec, the chairman and electoral board members for BSKE 2023 will receive P10,000 and P9,000 of honoraria, respectively. This was an increase from the previous P6,000 and P5,000 granted to them.
Currently, there are 42,001 barangays in the Philippines, the same number of posts for chairpersons of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan up for grabs. — BM/KG, GMA Integrated News
