Poll day protocols
IT is heartening to know that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) continues to come up with measures aimed at ensuring the health and safety of the people on May 9.
The country’s more than 65 million registered voters troop to the 105,000 voting precincts to elect new government officials, including the successor of outgoing President Duterte.
Aside from enforcing the national government’s “social distancing” policy, the poll body will also strictly implement the wearing of masks and face shields on election day.
“Di kayo papayagang bumoto nang hindi kayo naka-maskara and unfortunately nang hindi kayo naka-face shield,” according to Comelec Director James Jimenez.
The poll body acknowledged that “marami ang magrereklamo sa pagpapasuot ng face shield.”
But the Comelec, chaired by soon-to-retire Sheriff Abas, is seen to enforce the wearing of face shield on election day “hangga’t hindi ito pinapatigil ng mga komisyuner.”
The poll body may modify the election guidelines set forth in a resolution as the circumstances may warrant, depending on the rules to be issued by the national government, health department, Inter-Agency Task Force and local government unit concerned.
Government-issued health and safety protocols are all designed to prevent the May 9 presidential, congressional, regional and local polls from becoming “super spreaders” of COVID-19.
In the resolution, the Comelec reiterated the government’s policy of ensuring safe, free, orderly, honest, peaceful, credible, gender responsive, socially inclusive and informed polls.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of ensuring the health and safety of the people, particularly the voters, teachers and Comelec personnel, during the political exercise.
