THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared readiness to conduct the plebiscite to ratify the cityhood of Sto. Tomas, Batangas Saturday, September 7, saying the referendum is expected to go without a hitch.

In an interview, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said they are prepared to conduct the plebiscite that would determine if the residents favor conversion of Sto. Tomas into a component city of Batangas province as provided by Republic Act No. 11086.

"All the required documents are in place. The supplies are in place. The teachers have been trained. So we are just waiting for the day to happen," said Jimenez.

"At this point, we are confident that the plebiscite will go off without a hitch. It appears that everything is well in hand," he added.

The poll official also said they expect voter turnout to be higher than the regular elections, considering they conducted a massive information drive in the town over the past week.

"Certainly, the turnout will be high. The whole town is behind the plebiscite. While it may not reach 100 percent, it will definitely be higher than average," said Jimenez.

"We have been going to every corner of the town for this past week to raise awareness on the plebiscite. So we can expect a high turnout," he furthered.

Residents of Sto. Tomas, Batangas are set to troop to polling precincts, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, to vote on whether they are in favor of making the town a city or not.

As of the May 2019 elections, there were 98,583 registered voters in Sto Tomas, Batangas.

Voters must write the word "Yes" or "Oo" on the official ballot if they vote for the approval of the ratification of the law, while they will write the word "No" or "Hindi" if they vote for its rejection.

Illiterates, persons with disability, and senior citizens, who cannot by themselves accomplish the ballots, may be assisted by qualified persons, said the poll body.

Similarly, the Comelec said an express lane will be provided for pregnant voters, persons with disability, and senior citizens.

Jimenez said they expect to know the results of the referendum within 24 hours.

"We expect to at least know the indication of the results within 24 hours. It is just one town so we don't expect that we will be have to wait that long," said Jimenez. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)