Duterte skips voting

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte did not vote in yesterday’s barangay elections.

Instead of dropping by the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS) to cast his vote, Duterte went straight to the Davao International Airport for his flight to Manila.

People including journalists waited for the President to appear at polling precinct No. 1245A in DRANHS until 3 p.m., when the bell sounded signalling the end of voting.

Casting his vote at DRANHS was listed in the President’s official schedule, which he did not follow. 

Duterte had wanted the elections postponed to 2020, saying he does not want candidates supposedly financed by drug lords to win. 

The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections were supposed to be held in 2016, but were deferred to October last year, and again moved to yesterday.?Sources said the President went straight to the airport for his 4 p.m. flight to Manila, where he was expected to get back to work by swearing in Bernadette Romulo-Puyat as the new tourism chief.

Poll officials at precinct No. 1245A prepared the same wooden chair that Duterte used when he cast his vote in the 2016 presidential elections.

Yesterday would have marked the first time the President participated in an electoral exercise after the May 2016 presidential polls.

Duterte is set to go to Benham Rise today as indicated in his schedule. 

No offense

Duterte did not commit any offense when he failed to vote in yesterday’s barangay polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday.

“Voting is not mandatory so it’s up to voters if they want to vote or not,” noted Comelec Commissioner Luie Tito Guia.

But Guia maintained those who not do vote get disenfranchised and  “waive their important rights to vote.”  

“You are a citizen and you live in a community. For many people, voting is important because that is the only chance for them to have a ‘say’ in what is happening in their community,” he added.  

Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio cast her vote at the same school.

Carpio urged the citizens to go out and vote before the polls closed at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, Senate President  Aquilino Pimentel III cast his vote at around 8 a.m. at the City Central Elementary School in Cagayan de Oro City.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez voted in the University of Mindanao Tagum City at around 7 a.m.

Alvarez said he had to cast his vote early as he was flying back to Manila for the resumption of House session.

Special presidential assistant Christopher Go voted at the Buhangin Central Elementary School here in Davao City shortly before noon yesterday. — Sheila Crisostomo