46% of Filipinos won’t vote in Eleksyon 2022 if COVID-19 cases remain high —Zubiri

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday bared a commissioned Pulse Asia Survey showing that 46% percent of the voters will not exercise their right to suffrage if the COVID-19 cases in their areas are high.

Zubiri cited the survey result in a privilege speech as he raised the need to vaccinate more Filipinos ahead of the 2022 national and local elections.

The survey commissioned by the lawmaker asked this question: “Kung mataas ang bilang ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa inyong lugar o barangay sa araw ng eleksyon sa Mayo 2022, kayo po ba ay lalabas at boboto o hindi?”  (If the COVID-19 cases are high in your area or barangay on the day of elections in May 2022, will you go out to vote or not?)

The survey results are:

• Yes: 35%
• No: 46%
• Don’t Know: 19%

Most of those who voted “No” are from the National Capital Region with 57%, Balanced Luzon with 50%, Mindanao with 40%, and 37% from Visayas.

Meanwhile, most people who voted “Yes” are from Mindanao with 50%, NCR with 35%, Visayas with 32%, and Balanced Luzon with 29%.

“Hindi po natin sila masisisi kung ganun ang kanilang pangamba at posisyon. Mas mahalaga naman po talaga ang buhay kaysa sa pagboto,” Zubiri said.

(We cannot blame the people for their fear and position. Truly, lives are more important than voting.)

“Nakakatakot lang dahil posible pong ang mahahalal na mga lider ng bansa, magmula sa presidente hanggang sa konsehal, ay hindi man lamang nagmula sa boto ng mayorya ng mga botanteng Filipino,” he added.

(It is just worrisome that the next leaders of the country, from the president down to the councilors, are not the leaders that the majority of the voters wanted.)

Zubiri, who previously said he will run for Senate reelection, expressed concern on the possible low voter turnout in the upcoming polls.

“Hindi po natin nanaisin na mahalal sa ganyang kababa na voters turnout. Mahalaga po na ang magiging resulta ng eleksyon sa susunod na taon ay reflective of the true wishes of the electorate. Kung ano talaga ang pasya ng nakararaming botante, for it to become a credible election,” he said.

(We don’t want to be elected with a low voter turnout. It is important that the results of the election next year are reflective of the true wishes of the electorate. It should reflect the decision of the voters for it to become a credible election.)

“Ihahalal po natin ang mamumuno sa pamahalaan sa susunod na anim na taon. Ang susunod na Presidente po ang magmamana ng mga problemang iiwan ng pandemyang ito, kaya’t mahalaga po na ang mahalal ay ang pulso ng nakararaming Filipino,” he added.

(Those we will vote for next year are the leaders who will sit for the next six years, the next president who will inherit the problems brought about by this pandemic.)

The commissioned survey also asked the primary reasons why the respondents are not getting the vaccines against the COVID-19.

The results showed that an overwhelming 69% of respondents said that they are unsure of the vaccines’ safety, 12% believed that the vaccines might not be effective, and 11% said that vaccines are not necessary.

It also showed that 43% of the respondents said they are willing to get vaccinated, 36% answered in the negative while the remaining 16% are undecided.

“Hinihiling ko po sa mga implementors ng vaccination program na bilis-bilisan, dagdagan ang bakunahan lalong-lalo na sa mga probinsya,” Zubiri said.

(I ask the implementors of the vaccination program to hasten the rollout and add more vaccines especially in the provinces.)

Zubiri also called on the Commission on Elections to make sure that the upcoming polls will be safe and effective.

“The COMELEC should address the administrative problems and ensure that proper health protocols in the election sites are in place through issuance of resolutions such as practicing health protocols in the election sites, or by the passage of a law extending the period of election beyond one day to avoid over-crowding the polling precincts,” he said.

“Huwag sana nating hayaang maidagdag pa ang pagkamatay ng ating demokrasya at right of suffrage sa mga biktima ng COVID-19. Dahil ang kinabukasan natin at ng mga susunod pang henerasyon ay nakasalalay sa mga iboboto natin sa susunod na taon at mamumuno sa ating bansa. Our right to vote is our hope,” he added.

(We should not add democracy and the right to suffrage to the list of the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our future, as well as the next generations', depends on who we vote for next year and who will lead our country. Our right to vote is our hope.)

In a statement, the Comelec said it is confident that there will be a high voter turnout in the 2022 elections despite the threat of COVID-19.

“The COMELEC remains confident of a sizable voter turnout despite COVID fears. This projection is borne out by international experience—most, if not all, elections in other jurisdictions showed a higher than average voter turnout—and local experience in the Palawan Plebiscite last March 2021. In any case, voter turnout is in no way determinative of the validity of electoral exercises,” the poll body spokesperson James Jimenez said.

“The COMELEC [gratefully] acknowledges Senator Zubiri’s becoming concern and assures the distinguished Senator and the Filipino people that all necessary steps to ensure the voting public’s safety throughout the 2022 election period, most especially on election day, May 9, 2022, are being undertaken by your Commission on Elections,” he added.

Zubiri’s privilege speech was referred to the Senate Committee of the Whole on the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program.—AOL, GMA News