Small barangay hall forces voters in Barangay Valencia, QC to vote on national road

Voters in Barangay Valencia, Quezon City on Monday had to utilize part of a national road to cast their votes in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections due to lack of space in their original polling place.

Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez explained in a press briefing at the Palacio de Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila that Comelec took over half of Santolan Road, the street next to Valencia's barangay hall, as it could not fit all the precincts assigned to it.

"There are more precincts being operated, there are more voters expected to come, and the offices themselves are sort of crowded with office equipment," Jimenez explained.

He continued, "Unfortunately, in that area, there were no available public schools, there were no available churches, there were no available gyms. The only available space was the parking space next to the barangay hall."

Comelec essentially took over half of the street, barricaded it, and put tents on it to demarcate the areas used for the polls.

According to a report on Unang Balita on Monday by Saleema Refran, two lanes of Santolan Road were closed for the election activity.

All polling stations in Metro Manila opened without a hitch on Monday morning except for a few delays in certain municipalities.

Polling places nationwide opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 3 p.m. —KG, GMA News