Renewed hopes in PH’s vote-rich barangay

MANILA, Philippines – Ernesto and Mary Ann Tolentino, with their one-year-old child Joel, made their way through the crowd at the Bagong Silang Elementary School.

It was not easy to look for one’s precinct in Bagong Silang or Caloocan City’s Barangay 176. It is the country’s largest barangay with a population of about 250,000.

It was worse for 38-year-old Ernesto – he was on a wheelchair. Two male poll watchers had to carry him up to the second-floor precinct at Phase 3 in the same barangay.

After he cast his vote, he had to help his wife Mary Ann, 30, to find her polling place. She is mute.

Mary Ann, child in tow, left Ernesto by the ramp for persons with disability (PWDs) on the first floor of the school building. Upstairs, other voters could not understand her sign language. Good thing, she spotted her friend, Ivy Barcelona.

Ivy, 26, was a poll watcher. Not only that – she knew the difficulties that the likes of Mary Ann go through in polling precincts that are not exactly PWD-friendly. Ivy is married to a PWD.

“We want our voices to be heard,” Ernesto said, explaining why he and his wife went through the “trouble.”

Barangay 176 had 8 candidates for barangay captain, arguably the most number in any barangay in the Philippines. Given Barangay 176’s population, it gets a huge share of the internal revenue allotment from the national government – close to P90 million in 2013.

It is widely believed that the multi-million-peso annual barangay fund is the reason why the chairmanship of the barangay – any barangay – has become a much-coveted post. 

This is not enough to discourage Ernesto and Mary Ann from participating in the elections.

“We want to exercise our right to vote,” said Ernesto. “We want to do our share in the community as PWDs.”

Ernesto came to Barangay 176 in 1986. He was among those who were relocated from Tondo. He met Mary Ann there and started their family.

Together, as voters, they don’t lose hope that Bagong Silang will, as its name says, be reborn.

Ernesto said: “We hope PWDs will have better opportunities and better public facilities here.” – Rappler.com