Part of poll body’s moves to address PWDs concerns

TACLOBAN CITY- Ketherell Mate is excited that she will be exercising her right to vote for the first time.
But the 18-year old Mate is not your regular prospective voter. She is a deaf mute.
The Grade 9 student at the Leyte National High School (LNHS) was among the 150 persons with disabilities from this city that participated a simulation exercises during the voting process conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday at the school gym of LNHS, this city.
“Thank you to the Comelec for coming up with this activity. And I will surely exercise my right to vote in next elections,” Mate said through her interpreter.
If ever, Mate will be exercising her right of suffrage during a presidential elections two years from now.
The activity, which involved casting their votes using ballots and a voting counting machines, was personally witnessed by Comelec Commissioner Al Parreño joined by regional elections officials led by polls regional director, Jose Nick Mendros.
Parreño said that the exercise conducted by their office will help them address the needs and concerns of PWDs as voters.
Just like any regular able-bodied voters of the country, persons who are considered as PWDs and qualified to vote, should be exercise such right.
“Nakita po namin na marami pa kaming dapat ayusin para sa ating mga PWDs. Ginagawa po natin itong activity bilang dissemination kung ano ang kailangan na maiayos sa proseso natin, sa makina natin, sa training natin ng sa gayun ang bawat Pilipino, kasama na ang ating mga PWDs makaboto lalo na sa susunod na presidential elections,” Parreño said in an interview.

“Dapat po every person, unless disqualified under our laws, should be allowed to vote, including our PWDs,” he added.
Parreño said that among the common issues affecting the PWDs during elections are the accessibility of the voting centers and lack of assistance.
With these conditions, many of the registered PWDs who are registered voters are ‘discouraged’ to vote.
The poll commissioner, however, could not say to how many PWDs in the country are registered as they are not identified as such on their voters’ records. (ROEL T.AMAZONA/JOEY A. GABIETA)

‘Revolution can’t solve PH problems,’ he says

SAN ISIDRO,Leyte- For Edna Luna, a resident of Barangay Daja-diot of this town, she was able to heard what she wanted to her from President Rodrigo Duterte: address the insurgency problem.
The 37-year old mother to three children, disclosed that just like in other remote barangays in the country, their village which is about 40 kms away from the town center, is not also free of presence of rebel members of the New People’s Army (NPAs).
“That’s what I would like to hear from him. There are also NPA members that frequents in our village of Daja-diot though not as frequent like in the past,” she said, watching the President making his 49 minutes speech in a wide screen set up outside at the town civic center.
Mr. Duterte, came to the venue center two hours late from his scheduled 4 pm arrival, led in the distribution of financial assistance to 262 rebel member returnees coming from this town and nearby town of Calubian.
In his speech, the President exhorted the former rebel members to totally extinguish their associations from the communist group and start a new chapter of their lives as ordinary and law-abiding citizens of the country.
He said that the country could have been a progressive nation had it not been drawn to armed conflict with the members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA.
“Our nation could have prospered a long time ago had it not been for you NPAs. If only you were working for the progress of our nation,” he said.
“What you want is change, but you want to achieve that through armed struggle. That is not right. Not everything you’re asking from the government would bring peace to our communities…you NPAs, we can’t solve the problem in the Philippines by revolution. It has to be evolution…we can’t solve problems with revolution. We will just end up killing each other,” Duterte said.
During his visit, Duterte lead in the giving of financial assistance to the former rebel members giving them assistance totaling close to more than P8.9 million representing their livelihood and immediate assistance.
He also directed Agrarian Reform Sec.John Castriciones to fast-track in the development in the distribution of lands to these returning rebels covering more than 2,200 hectares located in Barangay Daja-dako, this town.
Mr. Duterte, in several instances, have vowed to end the insurgency problem of the country before he steps down by 2022, raising a possible new peace talks with the CPP leaders.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)