Special treatment for some Metro Manila bets

MOMENT OF TRUTH Rivals in Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada (clockwise, from top left) and Francisco “Isko Domagoso” Moreno flash their respective hand signs. In Makati City, incumbent Mayor Abby Binay and husband, Rep. Luis Campos, pose for selfies with supporters while her brother, mayoral hopeful Junjun Binay, casts his vote with Senator Nancy Binay by his side.
—PHOTOS BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ AND JOAN BONDOC

MANILA, Philippines — Shrieking female voters greeted the leading candidates in the hotly contested Manila mayoral race when they went to their respective polling precincts on election day.

Dressed both in white, incumbent Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada and former Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso also received preferential treatment from election officers.

Moreno arrived at Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School in Moriones, Tondo, at 7:40 a.m. despite a media advisory that he would cast his vote at 7 a.m.

Estrada was also late. He showed up at P. Burgos Elementary School in Sampaloc past
11 a.m. although his staff had estimated that he would be there between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Moreno went right inside his assigned polling precinct, bypassing the long line of voters that had formed outside after the vote counting machine (VCM) bogged down.

Voter’s observation

“We vote in the same precinct. I’ve never seen him fall in line,” said a voter who had been patiently awaiting his turn since 5:30 a.m.

Aside from a malfunctioning VCM, the voter registration verification machine also shut down because of the heat, forcing election officers to refer to the printed voters’ list.

Estrada, on the other hand, had more than the allowed one assistant inside the polling precinct. As someone helped him shade his ballot, others brought out electric fans to ensure that the former president, who was sweating in his white jacket, would be more comfortable.

Julia Labora, one of the election officers, defended the preferential treatment for the 82-year-old Estrada, saying this was allowed for senior citizens.

A man behind Estrada, who couldn’t finish casting his ballot because of the media frenzy, could only look on with a smile. City administrator Jojo Alcovendaz, who was with the mayor, apologized to him.

In Quezon City, it only took seven minutes for Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte to cast her vote at Christ the King Seminary on
E. Rodriguez Avenue.

The mayoral candidate also skipped the line and refused to comment when she was asked about the arrest of her staunchest rival, Rep. Bingbong Crisologo.

Belmonte was supposed to vote around 9 a.m., but she arrived around 1:30 p.m. at her polling precinct with some of her campaign staff.

Crisologo was arrested in Barangay Bahay Toro along with his poll watchers over an alleged vote-buying case on Sunday night. He faces charges of obstruction of justice, direct assault and unjust vexation.

Long wait for Sotto

Unlike Belmonte, it took over five hours for Pasig Councilor Vico Sotto to cast his vote at the covered court of the Valle Verde 5 Country Club. He is mounting a high-profile challenge against incumbent Mayor Robert Eusebio.

The delay was caused by a malfunctioning VCM, a problem experienced by other politicians throughout Metro Manila, including Sen. Grace Poe and former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Sotto arrived with his mother, actress Connie Reyes, at about 8:43 a.m., but opted not to cast his ballot until the defective VCM had been replaced. He later said it was for his “peace of mind” as he wanted to see the receipt generated by the machine.

Sotto returned after the VCM was replaced around 11:30 a.m. and finally managed to vote at 1:53 p.m.

While waiting in line, he told reporters that his poll watchers throughout Pasig had reported at least 35 VCMs with glitches.

“I’m trying to call the Pasig Comelec; they haven’t been reaching out to us [all morning],” Sotto said. His lawyer, who personally went to the local Comelec office, was not entertained either. —WITH REPORTS FROM MARIEJO S. RAMOS, MATTHEW REYSIO-CRUZ AND LISSA LAGMAY