By Charissa Luci-Atienza

An appeal was made by Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Francisco Gamboa Datol Jr. for the youth and citizens’ groups to ensure the smooth voting of the senior citizens during the May 13 polls.

“Please, alalayan ninyo ang seniors sa May 13. Bigyan ninyo sila ng bottled water, paypayan, tulungan sa pag-unawa sa balota para makaboto sila nang maayos. Kayo ang malalakas pa ang mga katawan, malinaw ang mga mata at pandinig, kaya asikasuhin ninyo ang seniors,” Datol, vice chairman of the House Committee on Senior Citizens Affairs, asked especially the millenials.

He said the elderly should also be oriented on how to understand and properly mark the ballots.

“Comelec (Commission on Elections) has already made public the ballot templates, so the relatives of the seniors only have to print out the ballot template for their locality for practice purposes at home,” Datol said in a statement.

He also called on transport sector — bus companies, inter-island ships, and airlines–to assist those elderly who will come home to their respective provinces to vote on May 13.

“Iyong mga lolo at lola na nasa Maynila at iba pang lungsod na uuwi sa hometown para sa elections, asikasuhin po sana, lalo na iyong mga sasakay ng bus,” Datol asked.

“Paki-linis po at lagyan ng tubig at sabon ang restrooms ng bus terminals para maginhawa naman magamit ng mga matatanda ang mga palikuran,” he added.

He earlier warned against the possible “systematic disenfranchisement” of senior citizens during the May 13 polls.

“The elderly are vulnerable to deliberate efforts to cause them not to vote or keep them from finding their precincts, so the burden of thwarting such orchestrated efforts is on the Comelec and its citizen’s arms,” Datol said.

He also cautioned that some politicians and their cohorts may resort to systematic disenfranchisement of senior citizens on May 13 as among their desperate measures to manipulate the results of the elections.

Datol expressed hope that the Comelec Resolution 10486, which provides the smooth voting for seniors, PWDs, and heavily pregnant women will be implemented “consistently” nationwide. #MatalinongBoto2019