Sign language interpreters in Baguio. Photo by OFELIA EMPIAN
IN various offices of the Commission on Elections nationwide, the same story played out as the country marked Sunday the National Registration Day for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs): Only a handful showed up to register as voters, and in some places none at all.
The low turnout was blamed on poor information dissemination by the poll body, the destruction wrought by typhoon “Glenda” in many parts of Luzon earlier in the week and heavy rains spawned by typhoon “Henry” that came on the tail of Glenda.
But election officials said they were optimistic that more PWDs will register in the weeks ahead as the continuing voter registration will end on Oct. 31, 2015. Others said a number of PWDs had registered before Sunday.
The National Council on Disability Affairs earlier asked the Comelec to conduct special registration for PWDs on July 20 to coincide with the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week.
Registration for new voters and those reapplying for reactivation or updating of their records in compliance with the biometrics law is ongoing. Under Republic Act 10367, the Mandatory Biometrics Voter Registration Act of 2013, voters who fail to update their biometrics data can’t vote in the 2016 and subsequent elections.
(Click on red dots on the map for detailed accounts)
Poor turnout
Comelec earlier estimated at least 120,000 eligible PWD voters.
Monitoring by VERA Files of Sunday’s special registration showed zero turnouts in some parts of Albay and Bohol, Dagupan and San Carlos cities in Pangasinan, Tarlac City, Koronadal City, and Tupi town in South Cotabato.
Comelec’s Sixto Brillantes with retired Col. Esmeraldo Romano. Photo by VINCE NONATO
Single-digit registration was reported in Baguio City (seven), Zamboanga City’s District 1 (eight) and District 2 (three), Pagadian City (three) and Surigao City (nine) where the registration was held at a gym.
Two Visayan cities reported a higher turnout: 30 in Bacolod City, which designated SM City as the venue, and 18 in Cebu City. Laoag City recorded 12 PWD voters as of mid-afternoon.
Because of the small number of PWDs who participated in what should have been an exclusive registration for them, local election officers ended up accommodating regular voters.
The few PWD registrants did not escape Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. who visited the local Comelec office in Quezon City, and monitored the registration in Manila and Taguig cities.
“Ang dami ninyong ginagawa, wala namang nagpaparehistro (You put in a lot of effort, but no one is registering),” he told elections officers, trying to make light of the situation. “Apparently, ang PWDs, maraming activity ngayon. Pero meron namang dumarating (Apparently, PWDs have many activities today. But some are registering).”
Poor information dissemination
Comelec officials said they had announced the special registration over television and relayed the information to local election officers.
PWD Delia Alvarez, 62, said she is disheartened that there were no other PWDs who went to the Comelec office for the registration. Photo by AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN
But the Comelec national office acknowledged the low turnout could be partly due to its failure to send the memo about Comelec Resolution 14-0463, which approved the special registration, in time because Glenda downed communications and disrupted power.
Gemma Morgia, election assistant in Tagbilaran, said the memo has not reached Comelec-Tagbilaran, which has been holding temporary offices at a house in Mabuhay Village in the city since the office was damaged by the 7.2 intensity earthquake that hit the province in October.
The election officers of Quezon City District 4 and Tupi said Comelec’s memo on the special registration reached them only on Friday. Koronadal City also blamed its zero turnout on the short notice.
Delia Alvarez, 62, a PWD of Tupi who re-registered in May, said she was disheartened that no PWD went to the Comelec office on Sunday.
“The registration and voting in every election are our guides for choosing the officials who understand our situation and could help us learn to live even though we have disabilities,” she said in her dialect.
Help from Las Piñas barangay Photo by JANE DASAL
In some places, the barangay captains did not respond to notices sent by the local Comelec election offices, according to Tupi election officer Salome Alemania Quezon City District 4 election officer Rosalinda Albia-Radin.
In Pagadian City, where only three PWDs registered on Sunday, election officer Anacleta Balinton said, “Our staff delivered notices to the 54 barangays the whole week. I, too, endeavored to personally appeal before the barangay captains (village leaders) in a gathering held in Chandlers Hotel last June 16.”
The Comelec memo encourages barangay officials to arrange transportation for PWDs to the registration sites.
Las Piñas election officer Ma. Anne Gonzalez said there was not enough time for the information drive because of the suspension of work during the typhoon. Maria Fe Maravillas, president of the Las Piñas Persons with Disability Federation, said her organization learned about the National Day of Registration for PWDs two weeks ago and had “little time to prepare.”
Henry Salac, a PWD who works at the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Unit of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) in Zamboanga, said his office did not receive the Comelec memo and that he found out about the special registration only from the Internet.
Baguio City election officer John Paul Martin said he wrote the CSWDO last week about the special registration and to seek its assistance in coordinating with various PWD groups in the city but did not get any feedback.
Daniel Padilan, a director of the PWD group Father Rafael Desmedt Cooperative based in Baguio City, said his organization was never told of the special registration by the CSWDO nor did he hear or read about it in the news.
“If we had known, we would have readied ourselves for today and organized ourselves so that we can all go and register together,” he said.
Election officers in Koronadal City Comelec office wait for PWD registrants. Photo by AMIEL MARK CAGAYAN
Jojo Llanes, president of the Alyansa ng may Kapansanang Pinoy (AKAP-Pinoy) chapter in Ilocos Norte, said PWD organizations in the province were not told about the registration.
San Carlos City election officer Digno Jose Castro, on the other hand, said he coordinated with the CSWDO to inform the PWDs about the registering them as voters, but no PWD showed up even as the special registration was about to close.
Bad weather
In many parts of the country, the registration was affected by typhoon Henry that brought heavy rains early Sunday, the Comelec said.
In some areas in Northern Samar, the rains were too strong, preventing the Comelec from opening offices. Other towns were unable to set up registration sites because they were busy attending to the damage wrought by Glenda. Election officers in Calbayog and Catbalogan cities, however, were able to set up temporary registration huts.
Comelec personnel in Dagupan City starting packing up at noon. “It was getting dark because of the clouds, and the rain may drench the computers,” said election officer Ericson Organiza.
The Comelec in Zamboanga also attributed the low turnout to heavy rains and strong winds.
“We were expecting more, of course,” Zamboanga City District 1 election officer Stephen Roy M. Cañete said. “But the weather is not cooperating, malakas ang ulan (there’s a heavy downpour). The PWDs will have a hard time coming here.”
PWDs at SM City Bacolod. Photo by CHRYSEE SAMILLANO
Accessibility
The registration was held mostly in local Comelec offices, on the ground floor of town or city halls. But some were held elsewhere, such as the SM City in Bacolod, the Nueva Extension Gym in Barangay Taft in Surigao, and the Imelda Cultural Center in Batac, Ilocos Norte.
While many barangays responded to Comelec’s call to ferry PWDs to registration sites, others didn’t.
PWDs in Surigao City accompanied by their families wait for their turn to register at the Nueva Extension Gym in Barangay Taft. Photo by NATZ CORBETA
Because Barangay Talon III in Las Pinas was not immediately informed about the registration and officials do not hold office on Sundays, PWDs were not provided transportation, said Leslie Abayon, 46, who has mobility impairment.
Barangay Daniel Fajardo in the same city, however, arranged for vehicles to bring PWDs to the registration site, said Josephine Avellana who availed of the assistance.
However, a number of unaccompanied PWDs in Las Pinas were unable to register. They failed to bring a duplicate copy of the requirements and could not make a copy of these because of the power outage.
Many barangays in Bacolod also did not provide vehicles, PWDs said.
Meleton Umadac of Ilocos. Photo by LEILANIE ADRIANO
In Laoag City, acting Comelec officer Flordelina Gagarin went out of his way to visit neighbors Meleton Umadac and his wife Josephine of Barangay 20 to offer to pay for their tricycle fare so they could go to the City Hall to update their records. Meleton had a stroke five years ago, which paralyzed half of his body.
Lowell Raner, Association of Disabled Persons Bacolod (ADBP) president, said thousands more could register if only government data about PWDs were complete and made available.
Election Assistant Arthur Patiga of Cebu province said Comelec needs sign language interpreters (SLIs) as it currently depends on PWD organizations to assist voters with hearing impairment during registration and election.
John Paul Maunes, executive director of Gualandi Volunteer Service Program in Cebu, said organizations like his lack the resources to provide enough interpreters and government should implement the laws to make elections disability-inclusive.
Comelec was also urged to increase the number of satellite registration sites to reach more persons with disabilities.
Right to vote
Even without prodding or help from the government, a number of PWDs said they were determined to register—and vote.
Private vehicles, not barangay vehicles, ferried the registrants in Zamboanga City.
Among those who registered in Quezon City was retired Col. Esmeraldo Romano Jr., 64, who has been using a wheelchair since 1972 when he was injured by gunfire. He heard about the special registration through news on TV only over the weekend.
TV news was also how Baguio City’s Rodolfo Mejia learned about the registration. Mejia, who has visual impairment, was unaccompanied, so election officer Martin assisted him. “I want my vote to be counted in the coming elections,” he said.
Roel Eroy and wife Angelita of Cebu Photo by MECHELLE FLORITA
Cebu City’s Roel Eroy, 45, who uses a wheelchair like Romano, asked his wife to escort him to the election office after he heard about the event from the barangay captain.
Bad weather could not stop 19-year-old Cesar Louie Ricamara, who has visual problem, from registering as a first-time voter in Surigao City. His mother assisted him in filling out the forms.
Ricamara said, “I felt vindicated by this chance like a normal individual to choose the right candidates in the coming elections.”
Cesar Louie Ricamara, a person with visual impairment, is assisted by his mother in signing the Comelec documents. Photo by NATZ CORBETA
—From the reports of Vince Nonato and Jane Dasal in Metro Manila; Leilanie Adriano, Ofelia Empian, Homer Teodoro and Reynard Magtoto in Luzon; Ricky Bautista, Chrysee G. Samillano, Cooper Resabal and Mechelle Florita and Carlo Lorenciana in Visayas; and Yen Blanco Delgado, Joseph Arnel Deliverio, Natz C. Corbeta and Amiel Mark Cagayan in Mindanao.