Aeta voters in Porac endure long lines, heat at lone precinct for Eleksyon 2025: "Voting is important"

PORAC, Pampanga — For the Aeta community in the mountain village of Villa Maria, voting in the 2025 national and local elections is more than a civic duty—it's a way to make their voices heard.

Villa Maria Integrated School, the lone voting center in the area, has 628 registered voters, most of whom belong to the Aeta indigenous group.

"Mahalaga sa amin ang pag-boto dahil naniniwala kami sa binoboto namin (kung) tumutulong sa amin," said Lourdes Santos, 60, a resident of the community.

(Voting is important to us because we believe in the people we vote for, especially if they help us.)

Despite the relatively small number of registered voters in the upland community, long queues and a slow voting process challenged many in the village. With only one voting precinct and a single automated counting machine (ACM), many residents had to wait for hours under the summer sun.

"Napakarami po yung pila, maghintay ka po sa pila pero syempre po ganyan talaga para makaboto," said Shiela Chan, 36, who arrived at the school as early as 7 a.m. but waited nearly seven hours before she could vote for her candidates.

(The lines were very long, you have to wait in line—but of course, that's how it is if you want to vote.)

As of around 4 p.m., poll watchers reported that roughly 85% of registered voters had already cast their ballots.

Villa Maria is just one of 29 barangays in Porac, the largest municipality in Pampanga with over 80,000 registered voters.  —RF, GMA Integrated News

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