Close to million Boholanos

to vote this May 14 BSKE

TAGBILARAN CITY, April 14 (PIA)--This May 14, expect close to a million voters trooping to Bohol's 2,706 clustered precincts in its 1,109 barangays, data from the local Commission on Elections (COMELEC) show. 

This as the country's citizens exercise the right to vote and be elected into office for the 16 local positions: 8 both for the Sangguni-ang Kabataan (SK) and the Barangay Officials.

Up for grabs are a position for Barangay Chairman and seven Barangay Councilors as well as a chairman for the SK and seven more youth councilors after a series of moves to postpone the polls and further extend the terms of the local officials.

As of March 21, 2018, Bohol Election Supervisor Atty. Eliseo Labaria bared that Bohol has a total of 838, 533 regular voters who would be picking their barangay officials and some 319,546 registered voters for the SK.

And at the current voting turn-out in Bohol at 85%, about 984, 367 would be just about the number who would be making themselves available to elect their local levels officials.

According to the provincial COMELEC, this election would be allow some voters to get ballots that have slots for SK representatives and their Barangay Officials, while some would only be getting ballots for barangay representative options.

In this elections, only eligible to run as candidates for the SK election are some 146, 522 registered voters who are aged 18-24, although there are still about 41, 386 SK members qualified to vote but can not be elected to office.

These over 41 thousand kids fall into the 15 to 17 years old age bracket who are discouraged to run because they could not yet focus on the tasks as youth officials as they are still on the schooling age, explained city election officer Atty. Ariel Selma at the Kapihan sa PIA last week.

Other than the 15-17 years old, those who are registered SK members whose ages are up to 30 can still vote for the SK slots, that is if they do not waive their rights for the youth elections, Atty Selma continued.

And to keep the election proceedings in order for the day, COMELEC is using the services of 8, 127 Board of Election Tellers (BET) 3, 327 Board of Election Canvassers (BOC), 1,066 Department of Education Supervising Officer (DESO) as well as 1,066 DES support staff comprising of teachers from both the public and the private schools.

For their extra duty rendered for the polls, teachers serving the elections can get increased honoraria.

A COMELEC resolution has ordered the increase of compensation for those rendering election duty from P4,000 to P5,000 for members of the election tellers and canvassers and from P4,000 to P6,000 for Chairmen.

From P3,000, DESO gets P4,000, while those rendering support work gets P2,000 from P500.

Teachers rendering duty are also entitled to transportation allowances, according to the COMELEC. (rahc/PA-7/Bohol)

COMELEC Bohol Atty Eliseo revealed that Bohol keeps an 85% voting turn-out, by this, nearly a million Boholanos are coming out May 14 to vote for the BSK elections. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)