Video with 10M views shows watchers shading ballots for seniors in Abra

Watchers assisting elderly voters inside a precinct in Abra. —Screenshot from the Facebook page of Vice Governor Joy Bernos

CAUAYAN CITY, Isabela, Philippines — Some poll watchers have been assisting elderly voters inside a precinct in the province of Abra on Monday, May 12, and were even shading the ballots themselves.

This was shown in a video shared by Vice Governor Joy Bernos on Facebook, who was overheard pointing out to the “chairman of the BEI,” or the Board of Election Inspectors, some election violations.

She said the ballots were being shaded by watchers themselves and that the ballot secrecy folder[s] were not being used.

“I would like this to be noted in the minutes,” she said.

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Bernos is seeking a second term, while her son, Joaquin Enrico Bernos, is a candidate for governor. They are running against Eustaquio Bersamin, who is seeking a comeback as governor, and his niece, Anne Bersamin.

Bernos said that despite the violation reported to the chairman of the BEI, the watchers continued shading the ballots of two elderly voters, as seen in the video, which has already been viewed by over 10 million people.

The Commission on Elections previously explained that a person with a disability or the elderly could bring a companion to assist him or her in shading the ballot inside the precinct.

However, the assistant should be a person within the fourth degree of consanguinity, living in the same household as the person being assisted, and willing to sign a confidentiality document. /tsb