Saturday, March 13, 2021
Palawan votes in historic plebiscite seen as test for elections during pandemic
Residents of Palawan trooped Saturday to polling precincts to vote in a historic plebiscite seen as a test for elections in the Philippines during the pandemic.
The plebiscite: It would determine whether Palawan would be split into three provinces, as proposed under Republic Act No. 11259.
Voting in the plebiscite was done manually, with voters writing yes or oo if they agree with the proposal, or no or hindi if they reject it.
“This is a sort of laboratory for us on how we will conduct the national and local elections this coming 2022,” elections commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. told ANC.
Protocols followed: Voters were required to wear masks and were subjected to temperature and symptom checks.
“This is a sort of laboratory for us on how we will conduct the national and local elections this coming 2022,” elections commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. told ANC.
Protocols followed: Voters were required to wear masks and were subjected to temperature and symptom checks.
Those whose temperatures were above 37.5 degrees Celsius or show symptoms of COVID-19 voted in isolated polling precincts, where election staff wore full-body personal protective equipment.
In a preliminary statement issued two hours before polls closed, election watchdog National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said that COVID-19 protocols were generally followed, save for a few violations.
“Perhaps due to inclement weather in some municipalities, there were instances when physical distancing in the queues was not observed due to the downpour at the start of voting,” Namfrel said.
Namfrel observed that in one voting center in Bataraza town, the wearing of masks and face shields was not being strictly enforced, while medical personnel were absent in a voting center in Aborlan town.
Other hiccups: The election watchdog also flagged reports of vote buying, including one witnessed by their observer in Brooke’s Point town, where envelopes containing P200 were supposedly distributed in exchange for people to vote a certain way in the plebiscite. Namfrel did not disclose whether this was for a yes or no vote.
Namfrel also noted that there was some confusion in voting precincts, but attributed this to the Commission on Elections’ efforts to limit the number of people in one polling place.
State-run Philippine News Agency also reported that delivery of election paraphernalia to the island town of Kalayaan was delayed due to rough weather conditions, resulting in polls opening late.
The Comelec also expected a low voter turnout, citing previous experiences with other plebiscites where only around 45% to 50% of voters would head to the polls to cast their vote.
“The interest of the voters is not really at par to the national or local elections where we have individual candidates running for posts,” Kho said.
The Comelec expects to finish canvassing by March 16, although Kho said the rough weather may delay this by a few days. — Xave Gregorio
Palawan plebiscite 'going smoothly'; no plans to extend voting hours —Comelec
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday said the plebiscite in Palawan for the ratification of a law dividing the province into three is "going smoothly."
"So far, we feel that the plebiscite is going smoothly and we are hopeful that this will continue until the end of the day," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters.
"As of 1PM, voting in the Palawan Plebisicite continues unabated, despite persistent rains," he said.
"According to reports, all polling places opened on time, with the exception of Kalayaan where the opening of polls have been delayed becUse of the late arrival of election supplies and paraphernalia," Jimenez added.
The C-130 Air Force aircraft eventually arrived in Kalayaan with the needed supplies amid rains due to a low pressure area near Puerto Princesa City, Super Radyo reporter Junfred Calamba said on Super Radyo dzBB.
Jimenez said Comelec received only one report of an untoward incident.
"Thus far, we have received word of only one verified instance of an untoward incident, consisting of a report of certain barangay officials refusing to give health declaration forms to some voters. The matter was immediately responded to and voters were allowed to exercise their right of suffrage," he said.
The turnout of voters is "moderate" due to the rains, Jimenez said.
Comelec is optimistic though that more voters will show up at precincts before the polling places close at 3 p.m.
"With two hours remaining before the close of voting, there is some optimism that last minute voting will drive the voter turnout rate up," he said.
Jimenez said there are no plans to extend the voting hours in Kalayaan as they are confident the exercise will be conducted within the time frame.
"There are no immediate plans to extend voting hours in kalayaan. With only 200 registered voters in Kalayaan, it is expected that voting will be completed within the original alloted time, with voting hours being flexibly extended as needed, after the 3 pm deadline," he said.
A total of 2,959 cluster precincts in 487 voting centers in 23 municipalities in Palawan are conducting the plebiscite to ratify Republic Act 11259.
The said law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, would divide Palawan into three provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur and Oriental Palawan.
The three provinces will be created upon approval by the majority of the votes cast by the voters of the affected areas in the plebiscite. —KG, GMA News
Plebiscite on dividing Palawan into 3 provinces begins
Palawan voters are taking part in a plebiscite on Saturday to determine whether or not the province will be divided into three or remain a single province.
On Twitter, Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez shared a copy of the ballot.
Another post showed voters lining up outside a precinct, and their temperatures being checked before casting their votes.
Jimenez likewise showed the “new look of Philippine elections”, where plastic barriers could be seen around a voter as a precaution against COVID-19.
The plebiscite is required under Republic Act No. 11259 that President Rodrigo Duterte signed on April 5, 2019, where Palawan will be divided to three provinces – Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur.
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan’s capital, will not take part in the plebiscite or in future elections in any of the new provinces as it will have its own Congressional district representative.
Voters can cast their votes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., while the counting and canvassing of votes shall begin from 3 p.m. onwards, the Comelec said.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1406469/plebiscite-on-dividing-palawan-into-3-provinces-begins
March 13 Palawan Plebiscite: First electoral exercise in PH held during COVID-19 pandemic
A total of 490,639 voters are expected to participate in the plebiscite for the creation of Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur on Saturday, March 13.
The Comelec originally scheduled the conduct of the plebiscite to ratify the division of the province of Palawan into Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur on May 11, 2020 in accordance to Republic Act No. 11259.
The law provides that the plebiscite shall be held on the second Monday of May 2020.
In April 2020, the Comelec suspended the May 11 plebiscite due to the pandemic and government’s imposition of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon.
On October 8, 2020, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the proposal to already hold the plebiscite in Palawan.
The poll body then set the plebiscite on March 13, 2021.
Palawan plebiscite starts for ratification of RA 11259 dividing province into three
The plebiscite for the ratification of Republic Act 11259 dividing Palawan into three provinces has started on Saturday morning.
A total of 2,959 cluster precincts in 487 voting centers in 23 municipalities in Palawan opened at 7 a.m.
It was "all systems go" on Saturday morning after the Commission on Elections finished delivering to municipalities the plebiscite materials and paraphernalia at 3 a.m., according to a report on Dobol B TV by Junfred Calamba of Super Radyo Palawan.
The delivery of materials started on Friday.
Voters will cast their votes in the one-day plebiscite if they are in favor or not of RA 11259 which would divide Palawan into three provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan del Sur and Oriental Palawan.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11259 in April 2019.
Under the new law, the province of Palawan del Norte will be composed of the municipalities of Coron, Culion, Busuanga, Linapacan, Taytay and El Nido.
The province of Palawan Oriental will be comprised of the municipalities of Roxas, Araceli, Dumaran, Cuyo, Agutaya, Magsaysay, Cayancillo, and San Vicente.
The province of Palawan del Sur, meanwhile, will be composed of the municipalities of Aborlan, Narra, Quezon, Rizal, Espanola, Brooke's Point, Bataraza, Balacbac and Kalayaan.
Under the new law, Taytay will become the capital of Palawan del Norte, while Roxas and Brooke's Point will be the respective capitals of Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur.
The three provinces will be created upon approval by the majority of the votes cast by the voters of the affected areas in a plebiscite to be conducted and supervised by the Comelec.
The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines were on the alert on Saturday to secure the conduct of the plebiscite.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez has earlier said they have reduced the precinct sizes to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
Health protocols will be strictly implemented.
Voters who went to Central Taytay National High School early Saturday morning had to have their body temperature checked. Health forms were also given to voters who did not have them, Super Radyo Palawan reported on Facebook.
—KG, GMA News
Palawan’s division up at plebiscite
IT’S all systems go for today’s plebiscite for the separation of Palawan into three provinces.
Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Operations Teopisto Elnas on Friday said all plebiscite supplies and related paraphernalia that would be used in the elections were already delivered to the treasurer’s office of the various municipalities of the province, except those for Kalayaan Islands.
“But hopefully we can address the problem this afternoon,” Elnas told a press briefing in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.
There are a total of 490,639 registered voters in the plebiscite.
Of the number, 58,966 are senior citizens, 4,340 are persons with disabilites,14,056 Indigenous People and 15 persons deprived of liberty.
Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho said the final outcome of the plebiscite may be known within five days.
“Hopefully we can get the final results by March 16 although it may take a day or two before we [can] determine if it is a yes or it is a no,” Kho added.
Voting will be done manually. Precincts will open at 7 a.m.
Registered voters will only write “yes” if they are in favor of dividing the province of Palawan into Paalawan, Palawan del Norte and Palawan Oriental, and write “no” if they are against it.
Strict health protocols shall be implemented in polling precincts.
Only five voters will be allowed at any given time.
Kho said the plebiscite would play a vital role in the preparations for the elections next year.
“This is the first time we are doing an electoral exercise under a pandemic. Assuming that the situation is still the same, this will somewhat serve as a laboratory for the conduct of the national elections in terms of observance of health protocols,” Kho said.
Election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente) said it will closely monitor the conduct of the plebiscite with focus on the introduction of Covid-related and innovations, including procedures for vulnerable sectors like persons with disabilities and indigenous people, among others.
“Observations gathered through the aid of carefully designed methodology and tools shall have an impact on the recommendations that Lente will forward to the Comelec and to policy-makers on reformative measures that can potentially be adopted for the 2022 national and local elections,” it said.
Among the protocols that Comelec will implement are temperature check at voting center entrance, deployment of medical personnel, isolation facility and use of gloves by voters.
The plebiscite was originally scheduled for May 11, 2020 but was suspended because of the pandemic and the implementation of enhanced community quarantine.
On Oct. 8, 2020, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved a proposal to already hold the plebiscite.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/03/13/news/regions/palawans-division-up-at-plebiscite/850549/