Participants in the upcoming plebiscite in Palawan next month will no longer be required to wear face shields in voting precincts.
The Commission on Election (Comelec) made decision to prevent possible disfranchisement in the plebiscite scheduled on March 13, 2021.
“This is just a new order so that marginalized sectors and vulnerable sectors, who might be deprived to vote [because of the face shield requirement]. We know some of them live in islands or mountain, where they have no access [to face shields],” Kalayaan Election Officer Juan Gonzales said in an online news briefing on Thursday.
He, however, urged Palawan voters, who will be able to buy face shields to wear the protective gear during the exercise to help further minimize the spread of Covid infection.
The election official also stressed that the wearing of facemasks will be mandatory for all voters before they could enter polling precincts or voting centers.
Comelec will also be strictly implementing social distancing measures in voting precincts by limiting the number of voters in the said venue to just five at any given time.
The conduct of the plebiscite will determine the possible ratification of Republic Act (RA) No. 11259, or An Act Dividing the Province of Palawan Into Three (3) Provinces, Namely: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur.
Over 490,000 voters are expected to participate in the event, where Comelec is expected to test its new protocols for the conduct of the 2022 National and Local election protocols amid the pandemic.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/02/25/comelec-drops-mandatory-use-of-face-shield-in-palawan-poll/
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