BukidnonNews.Net photo
MALAYBALAY CITY (BukidnonNews.Net/12 May 2025) Elections in this part of the city went peacefully and orderly, according to volunteers of the Parish Pastoral Council in Brgy. Casisang, Malaybalay City.
Jerry Manubag, a senior volunteer of the PPCRV in Casisang Central Integrated School, polling place to 7,700 voters here in 49 polling precincts and seven classrooms, said it went in order and all concerns were addressed except for some mishaps.
The school is one of two schools in the barangay where polling precincts were located, the other in Airport Village Elementary School (AVES). There were 10 PPCRV volunteers assigned in the school, who reported as early as 430a.m. Monday.
The PPCRV cited several incidents that voters brought up before them for assistance, including a male voter identified as “R.Y.” who was not able to cast his vote as somebody has already signed in his name’s row in the Election Day Computerized Voters’ List (EDCVL).
Archilles A. Mendoza II, another PPCRV Volunteer stationed in the school, said “R.Y.” asked for their assistance after being told he won’t be able to vote as the EDCVL already bears a signature. He said he has not yet voted and the signature is not his.
The chair of the electoral board and the poll clerk of the cluster of precincts concerned told BukidnonNews.Net around 430p.m. Monday that there is no anomaly but an “honest mistake”. They confirmed the voter was not able to cast his vote. They said the signature possibly belonged to a relative, who voted proximate to the affected voter’s order in the EDCVL. They said the slip was unintentional due to the volume of voters.
PPCRV volunteers, who said they have recorded the case as one of the significant mishaps in their polling place, said the “honest mistake” was at the expense of the affected voter.
Manubag said this is one reason why they think Comelec should require a valid ID in the next elections so that they can help ensure proper verification of voters. The volunteers listed the incident as a case of “stolen identity”.
The volunteers also noted that a woman identified as “A.I.” also complained that her name was not in the list despite being a consistent voter every election. The case was noted as “deactivated account”. She was among those unable to vote.
But they cited that at least one of those who sought help from them was able to vote despite a mishap. They said the last letter of her family name was misspelled: instead of “o”, “a” was used.
Mendoza said the voter approached them around 10-10:30 a.m. They referred her to Comelec-Malaybalay. They said the misspelling was addressed and she was able to vote before noon.
The volunteers noted that though PPCRV’s role has been limited to voters’ assistance compared to their previous roles including election monitoring.
PPCRV’s poll-watching activities began with the 1992 presidential elections. Then, 346,688 PPCRV volunteers participated in poll-watching, voters’ assistance, assisting the Board of Election Inspectors, protecting election returns, monitoring electoral exercise, and watching the canvassing of votes.
Manubag said even with their simplified role, “assisting voters on election day” is still a worthwhile role.
”Voters would be in disarray without volunteers. Many voters get confused especially with adjustments in the voters’ list and changes in the clustering of voters’ precincts,” he said in the vernacular. (BukidnonNew.Net)
The Casisang Central Integrated School polling place is the location of about 7,700 voters in Brgy. Casisang, Malaybalay City’s biggest barangay in terms of land area and population. /BukidnonNews.Net photo
Around past 4p.m., the seven precinct clusters here only have around 5-7 voters at a time. Voting started at 5a.m. to 7p.m. (including the special hours alloted for senior citizens and other vulnerable voters/BukidnonNews.Net photo