KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 12 May) — I went to the Koronadal Central Elementary School just before 6 a.m. to exercise my right to vote as a person with disability (PWD). I was with my octogenarian mother. Our assigned clustered precinct was 60A and my voting number is 155.
PWDs, senior citizens and pregnant women were given the special treatment nationwide by allowing them to vote earlier — from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on May 12.
Kudos to the teachers who served in our precinct in their efforts to have a smooth conduct of the elections during our voting period, especially for gently assisting and ensuring that senior citizens and PWDs exercise their right to suffrage without glitches.
Unfortunately, there were problems as in my case and some others.
In my precinct, senior citizens came out in full force to cast their votes, far outnumbering the PWDs and pregnant voters who turned up. Everyone had high hopes of having incorruptible, capable and patriotic candidates emerge as the deserving winners.
There was a problem, however, when the automated counting machine (ACM) returned my votes. I voted for 12 candidates – the maximum allowed – for Senator. To be sure I’ll not waste my sacred vote, I counted my senatorial choices not once and twice but THRICE.
But when a member of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) handed me my voter receipt so that I can confirm my votes, I was shocked to read OVERVOTE for the senatorial race.
We reviewed the ACM screen and there magically appeared an encircled Revillame, Willie (of all the names!). I am very sure I did not shade the circle beside the name of the famous comedian/actor! It appeared to me that it was pre-shaded. We inspected the back portion of the original printed ballot, where the list for the party-list groups is printed. My party-list choice is far from the portion where Revillame’s name was printed. It was impossible that the ink of the marking pen at the back portion of the ballot could have leaked or bled and shaded Willie’s name.
I have high regards for Kuya Wil as a showbiz personality, but never in my wildest dreams did it occur that his name, which I reiterate appeared to be pre-shaded, would appear in my ballot, and in this case, cost me an overvote.
An overvote, according to the Comelec, will invalidate the votes cast for the specific position.
The BEI listed my complaint on a sheet of paper, along with another one (at the time).
But I felt I had just gone through a NIGHTMARE as the votes for my 12 senators can no longer be counted. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)