DAVAO ORIENTAL – The Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office (DOPPO), in partnership with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Provincial Information Office of Davao Oriental, held on Tuesday a voting simulation at the Don Luis Rabat Senior Memorial School in Dahican, Mati City in preparation for the May 2022 elections under the new normal.
DOPPO Provincial Director Police Colonel Efren E. Orlina said the objective of the simulation activity is to produce a video production that will help guide the general public on how to cast their votes safely amidst the threat of the pandemic.
“An election is a super-spreader event, and we are not out of the woods yet,” PCol Orlina said. “While we exercise our right of suffrage, we must also protect the sanctity of life and right to health of our population.”
Highlights of the simulation include the step-by-step voting process, which consists of the verification process, temperature check, and voting process for those referred in the Isolation Polling Precinct, among others.
ANTI-COVID 19 MEASURES
As expected on the day of the elections, the test voters were obliged to wear face masks and face shields, observe physical distancing, and undergo temperature screening.
On the election day, medical personnel will be present on-site and COVID-19 marshals.
The simulation venue was also designed according to how voting precincts should be on May 9. The following features were put up:
• Plastic barriers in classrooms;
• Isolation polling place where individuals who will register a temperature higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius could cast their ballots; and
• Emergency accessible polling place for members of the vulnerable sector (persons with disability, senior citizens, pregnant women).
“We expect these health and safety protocols will impact voting hours, but we are confident that this activity will help us streamline the overall voting experience,” Atty. Krisna Samantha Caballero, Provincial Election Supervisor of COMELEC Davao Oriental, said.
Through the Provincial Information Office, the voting simulation will be filmed and shown to voting precincts for a clear demonstration on how the voting process will go on the election day.
The whole province of Davao Oriental has a total of 395,751 registered voters. By Shaye Dacles | Photos by Mark Oliver Alvite
