Months of preparation and campaigning drew to a close last Friday and have all boiled down to today’s general election.
Since 6am today, some of the 798,768 Boholano voters have started to troop to their respective polling precincts to cast their votes for their favored candidates.
The Provincial Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office under Jerome Brillantes has already declared its “state of readiness†to man the polls and accommodate the throngs of voters who will go to the province’s 1546 precincts today.
Of the 798,768 registered voters in Bohol which has 1,109 barangays, Tagbilaran City has the most number of voters at 59,949. The Tagbilaran voters were divided and assigned to 16 polling centers, 83 clustered precincts and 351 other precincts in the capital.
The town of Ubay has the second highest number of voters at 41,792. Residents of the municipality will be voting in 45 polling centers, 73 clustered precincts and 286 precincts.
The municipality of Sikatuna has the lowest number of registered voters at 4,647. The town has nine polling centers, 10 clustered precincts and 29 precincts.
Led by one chairman, three members of the Board of Election Inspector, a poll clerk, and support staff will be assigned in each clustered precinct across the province.
Watchers from the various political parties are also allowed to observe the voting inside the precincts.
Among the registered Boholano voters, some have already casted their votes through the Local Absentee Voting conducted during the last week of April, 2016.
However, only one member of media and 11 police personnel have availed of the privilege accorded by the Comelec.
Only Members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and the media are allowed to join the Local Absentee Voting.
According to Brillantes, voting will start at 6am and will end at 5pm today.
Brillantes also urged voters to proceed to precincts early and bring their respective list of candidates they will vote for to hasten the voting process. (with reports from Rey Tutas)