THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) is deploying 10,000 personnel to man health stations in 2,000 voting centers nationwide on election day for the convenience of voters.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Andres Bautista and Health Secretary Janette Garin Monday formalized their partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding where the DOH would to provide free first aid, essential medicines and access to emergency medical help to voters, election workers and volunteers on May 9.
Under the agreement, the DOH will shoulder the cost of hospitalization of election workers and volunteers that may fall ill or get hurt in the line of duty.
At the signing, Bautista said the health stations would be put up in “priority areas,” or voting centers with high density populations and with the biggest number of persons with disability (PWD) and senior citizen voters.
Comfort, convenience
Each health stations will be manned by five health workers. Each province will have at least 20 health stations.
“This is in accordance with the objective of the Comelec to enhance the voting experience as it will ensure the comfort and convenience of voters, thereby increasing the possibility of having a higher voter turnout,” Bautista told reporters.
Garin said the DOH had earmarked about P37 million for the operational expenses of the health stations and another P10 million as standby fund for the hospitalization and treatment of election workers.
The health workers will be paid P400 each for their service on May 9, Garin said.
“This will be the first time in the history of our elections. We will be deploying 10,000 health workers on election day and we are prepared to deploy more if the Comelec requires us to do so,” she said.
Garin said the common complaints of voters when queueing to cast their ballots are dizziness, high blood pressure, fever and fatigue.
Most number of voters
Comelec data shows the CAA Elementary School in Las Piñas City has the biggest number of registered voters with 39,137; followed by the President C. Aquino Elementary School and Commonwealth Elementary School in Quezon City with 37,638 and 37,148, respectively.
Nagpayong Elementary School in Pasig City and Rosauro Almario Elementary School in Manila also have large numbers of registered voters at 36,439 and 35,941, respectively.
The voting centers with the most number of senior citizen voters are Buliok Elementary School in Pagalugan, Maguindanao; Kapatagan East Central School in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte; Catbalogan V. Central Elementary School in Catbalogan City, Western Samar; Olutanga Central Elementary School in Zamboanga Sibugay, and Lilod Elementary School in Balindong, Lanao del Sur.
The voting centers with the biggest number of PWD voters are Sisiman Elementary School, Mangudadatu Primary School, Sampao Elementary School, Bayasong Elementary School and Tamnag Central Elementary School, all in Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat.