by Vir B. Lumicao
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| A lone voter inside a Bayanihan precinct |
Heavy rain dampened Day 7 of the month-long overseas voting for
Filipinos in Hong Kong , with just over 300 voters
casting their ballots.
The Observatory issued a thunderstorm and amber rain warning
for most of the territory, and the sidewalks of Bayanihan Centre turned into
raging streams, keeping many voters away.
But despite the damp weather, none of the previously
problematic vote-counting machines malfunctioned.
“There were no problems with the machines today, unlike in
the past days. At least we are learning how to use the machines although
malalaman po natin (talaga) kung marami nang botante,” Consul General Morales
said in a media briefing at the end of the day.
He said the Consulate, which was deputized by the Commission
on Elections to conduct the overseas voting in Hong Kong ,
is in close touch with the election body just in case problems recur when more
voters come.
Morales said three additional VCMs had been put on standby, to
be used to replace any malfunctioning machine.
About 320 voters turned up, bringing the total ballots
cast since the overseas voting began exactly a week ago to close to 5,100,
Morales said. That represents just 5.78% of the 87,441 registered voters in Hong Kong . But Morales said he still expects a 50%
turnout.
Overseas voters will pick 12 Senators and one party-list
representative in Congress the Senate in the ongoing mid-term elections.
Today two ballots were rejected by the VCM because there
were ink marks on their bar codes, or the so-called ballot timing mark, Morales
said.
There were also two voters who were caught taking photos of
their ballots and were asked by the chairperson of the Special Board of
Inspectors in their respective precincts to delete the pictures.
“Nakasaad po (sa batas) na bawal ito at ang SBEI chair ay napilitang
pagsabihan sila na i-delete ang kanilang mga photo,” Morales said.
One person with disability made her way to the voting center
despite the driving rain, and the chairman in her precinct had to go down to
bring her the ballot.
“Alam nyo po na it’s difficult to climb the stairs of the
voting center, at may bumaba na chair ng isang SBEI kasama ang isang watcher”
so that the avid voter could cast his vote at the election secretariat on the
third floor of Bayanihan, Morales said.
The election secretariat also received a protest against a
person who was allegedly campaigning at the entrance of the voting center, the
consul general said.
Morales said the protest was immediately sent to the Comelec
along with the names of the protester and the person who was the target of
protest.
“Huwag (din) pong mangangampanya, huwag sasabihin ang
ibinoto natin dahil kapag may nagprotesta in written form, pinadadala namin ang
pangalan ng nagprotesta at ng iprinotesta sa Comelec at sila ang gumagawa ng
tamang aksiyon. So please be reminded of the rules.”
He again warned that distribution of campaign flyers outside
the voting center is prohibited. It is allowed only at least 30 meters away
from the voting center.
Asked why the Consulate has not been posting the daily
running total on its Facebook page as in the 2016 presidential election,
Morales said: “I have said we were deputized by the Comelec, we will ask for
permission; kung papayag sila, ilalagay natin.”
