May 10, 1:05 p.m.- THOMASIANS take part in the first automated national elections today not only as first-time voters, but also as volunteers.
Forty-four Thomasians from the Political Science Forum are helping the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in election duties, while students from the Faculty of Civil Law have signed up with the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente).
Vincent Aguila, president of the Political Science Forum and head of “Hindi Ako Hopeless sa Lunes” project, said the 44 Thomasians will work for the whole day at voters’ assistance desks in three polling places: Ramon Magsaysay High School on España Boulevard, Juan Luna High School in Tondo, and the Mormon chapel on Morayta Street.
Lente UST Chapter vice president Philip Ulep said: “We are here to cater to legal matters of the election like vote-buying.”
Meanwhile, at around 9 a.m. or three hours after precincts opened, Faculty of Sacred Theology Dean Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P was still unable to cast his vote at the Ramon Magsaysay High School after three Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines malfunctioned, causing voting to slow down. Jennifer Ann G. Ambanta
