Boracay residents show up to vote despite heavy rains

Voters flock to voting precincts at the Barangay Manoc-Manoc Elementary School on Boracay Island despite heavy rains. Photo by Nestor P. Burgos Jr./INQUIRER VISAYAS

BORACAY ISLAND, AKLAN — Heavy rains and economic dislocation failed to dampen voting on Boracay Island on Monday.

But early voting for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections showed a possible lower voter turnout compared to previous elections.

“There could be a lower turnout but we will see in the afternoon,” said Val Casimiro, Department of Education supervisor assigned at the Manoc-Manoc Elementary School.

“I think only about half voted because many went home after the closure,” said a 43-year-old woman who owns a boarding house.

“In a way, this is good because the election results would show the vote of mostly native Boracaynons,” she told the INQUIRER on condition that she would not be named.

Thousands of workers have left the island since Boracay was closed to tourists starting April 26 as part of rehabilitation efforts.

There are about 30,000 regular and informal workers, many of them not Boracaynons, on the island before the closure.

At the Manoc-Manoc Elementary Schools, voters lined up even before the 33 clustered precincts opened at 7 a.m.

“I was here by 8 a.m. I don’t want to forfeit my vote,” said Alfred Imperial, a construction worker who is among the jobless residents.

Manoc-Manoc has 11,170 registered voters or 50.51 percent of the 22,111 total voters on the island.

Balabag village has 7,371 voters while Yapak village has 3,570.

Pathways in the area and the school compound became wet and muddy due to heavy rains. Voters also sought shelter at the school’s covered court.

Several voters complained of not finding their names in the list of voters.

Casimiro said in almost all cases, the voters were delisted after failing to submit their biometric data or failing to vote for two successive elections. /je