“SENSITIVITY” to senior citizens.
This was the concern raised by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama after he cast his vote for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on the fourth floor of the Guadalupe Elementary School in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City on Monday, October 30, 2023.
Rama arrived at his polling place with his son, Mikel, and wife, Malou, around 10 a.m. Monday.
“I am already a senior citizen unya ang mga PWD (persons with disability) intawn, dili maayo nga adto mi didto, dapat sensitivity is very important,” he said.
When Rama was asked about the long queues raised by some senior citizens, he said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should have already addressed the issue.
“Problema jud na sa Comelec ngano tugatuga sila’g election nya wala nila prepara daan, apan naa jud ng mga concern pero ang pinaka importante agwanta lang sa,” Rama said.
(That’s a Comelec problem. They should have prepared it, but that’s the usual concern, so we don’t have a choice but to endure it.)
He said it would be better if all senior citizens can cast their votes at the ground level.
In an interview on Monday, Nada Ruiz, 72, expressed her hope that the government would provide more accessible voting locations for senior citizens.
Ruiz found it challenging to navigate to the fourth floor of the building at Guadalupe Elementary School as she cast her vote Monday.
Security
Meanwhile, Rama said he instructed the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to prioritize “peace and order” during Election Day.
He said he ordered the police not to forget the monitoring in upland areas in the city.
“Ang mga kabukiran dili jud kalimtan kay basin nya toa didto ang daghan reklamo unya ang atong kapulisan dili responsive. I have been very clear about it,” Rama said.
‘Democracy has won’
Rama also said that “democracy has won” regardless of who will win the election because everyone exercised their rights to vote.
“Win some, lose some na, but we all have won. Nya nakakompanya sila, naka miting de avance, nya karon botar na. Democracy have won,” Rama said.
“Spirit of sportsmanship should reign. Magnanimity para sa mga nadaug. Gracious in defeat sa mga naalkanse…with that, we will become a better person,” Rama added.
He said humility should also reign so that service will follow. (AML)