By Ferdinand Patinio
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the health and safety protocols to be implemented in next month's plebiscite on the division of Palawan into three separate provinces will play a major role in crafting guidelines for the conduct of next year's national and local elections.
“The plebiscite will be very important since we will be able to test the health and safety protocols there (to be implemented) during the plebiscite. It’s a sort of a dry run. If the pandemic is still here come May 2022, we will be able to see here if the Commission is ready, as well as the people and other concerned agencies on how will be able to conduct this event,” Comelec chair Sheriff Abas said in a virtual briefing on Thursday.
During the plebiscite on March 13, health protocols such as temperature checks, submission of health declaration forms, strict observance of proper respiratory etiquette; use of footbaths before entering the polling places, proper wearing of face mask and face shield, and observance of one-meter physical distancing.
They will also establish an isolation polling place (IPP) in every polling center for voters with a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher and those who answered “Yes” to any of the questions in the Covid-19 health declaration form.
The Palawan plebiscite period started on Thursday and will run until March 20, which means a gun ban is already in effect in the province. The campaign period for the referendum will run until March 11, 2021.
Republic Act 11259, calls for the creation of Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur through a plebiscite.
Meanwhile, Abas said they continue to prepare for the holding of the May 9, 2022 national and local elections.
“The Commission is preparing for the 2022 elections...we already have the Calendar of Activities for example, when is the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy, we have a tentative schedule from Oct. 1 until Oct. 8,” he added.
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