SAMAL, Bataan — A World War II veteran past the centenarian age was one among the early electorates who cast their votes for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in Barangay Sta. Lucia here Monday.
Young wife Luz Bugay accompanied husband Onofre Bugay, 102, post district commander of WWII veterans in Bataan.
The couple walked to vote for the village chairman and barangay kagawad of their choice from their residence in Sta. Lucia, more than 200 meters away from their polling precinct at the Samal South Elementary School.
After verifying their names and numbers in the list of registered voters, Onofre and Luz proceeded to their polling precinct and cast their votes.
After voting, barangay health workers from Sta. Lucia took the blood pressure of the voters. Onofre recorded a blood pressure of 130/80.
Onofre who was born on Sept. 12, 1921 has already received P100,000 from the national government as incentive for senior citizens who reached the age of 100 years.
Luz said that although short of hearing, Onofre is still healthy and loves eating “sinigang sa bayabas na mamale.”
She said her husband regularly voted in every local and national elections.
Voters for the BSKE formed long lines in different polling precincts in Barangays Santa Lucia and Ibaba in Samal, before 7 a.m. as the board of election inspectors prepared documents for voting.
Casting of votes began at exactly 7 a.m. There was no early voting for senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disability.
Senior citizens, PWDS and regular voters formed separate lines.
Voting ran orderly. There were tables manned by volunteers where voters were informed of their polling precinct and number in the list of registered voters per barangay.
