Elderly man with disability fails to vote in Bulacan

Florante Roco talks to people at the Bagong Buhay H Elementary School in Barangay San Rafael IV,  San Jose del Monte City, in Bulacan on May 14, 2018. INQUIRER.NET / PATHRICIA ROXAS

A 62-year-old person with a disability  failed to cast his vote for the barangay elections on Monday as he could not find his voting precinct in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.

Florante Roco, now a resident of Barangay Greater Lagro, Quezon City, said he received a letter from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last January 8 informing him that his registration in the city was rejected because he has an existing valid registration at San Jose del Monte.

Expecting to exercise his right of suffrage, Roco traveled back to San Jose del Monte only to find out that his name was not on the list of eligible voters at his precinct.

PWD Florante Roco shows the letter which the Comelec sent him informing him that he was still an active voter in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. INQUIRER.NET / PATHRICIA ROXAS

“Na-stroke ako anim na taon na nakalipas. Hindi na ako nakaboto nung panahon ni Noynoy,” he told INQUIRER.net, referring to the 2016 presidential polls.

(I suffered a stroke six years ago. I wasn’t able to vote during Noynoy Aquino’s time.)

Even though he had a hard time speaking, he lamented this incident and said that he would just transfer his registration to Quezon City.

“Ipapalipat ko na lang po sa Quezon City. Sayang naman pero ganoon talaga,” he added.

(I’ll just transfer it to Quezon City. Such a waste but that’s how it is.)

Polling precincts opened here at about 7:00 a.m. and are scheduled to close at 3:00 p.m.

As of writing, there have been no reported violent incidents in the area aside from common difficulties of finding voting precincts.

In a press briefing on Monday, Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez reminded that those who missed two consecutive elections in the past and those who failed to undergo biometrics during voter’s registration have not been included in the list of eligible voters this year.

“Gusto ko ipaalala sa inyo, kung kayo ay nakamiss ng 2 consecutive halalan, yes wala kayo sa listahan ngayon. Marami tayong instances na kung saan na nung kinausap natin ‘yung tao na nawala sa listahan, ‘yung huling eleksyon na nilahukan niya [ay] matagal-tagal na, nadeactivate,” he explained.

(I just want to remind everyone that if you miss two consecutive elections before, you won’t be in the list today. We have many instances where we talk to people who are not in the list because the last election they joined was a long time ago, so their registration was deactivated.)

“Kung ‘di nagbiometrics, then yes, baka wala rin kayo sa listahan ngayon. Tandaan natin, nung 2016, no bio no boto — kung ‘di nakapagbiometrics, ‘di talaga kayo makakaboto ngayon dahil wala kayo sa listahan,” he continued.

(If they don’t have biometrics, then yes, they probably won’t be in the list too. Remember, in 2016, we implemented “no bio, no vote” — if you didn’t get your biometrics done, you won’t be able to vote because you aren’t in the list.)

Jimenez said these voters could still vote in the next election if they update their records and undergo biometrics in their respective cities’ Comelec offices. /cbb, je