Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte cast her vote at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School (DRANHS) in Matina Crossing, Davao City during the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday.
She started voting at around 8:53 a.m. and finished in less than 10 minutes. She also interacted with other voters and children in the school after casting her vote.
However, former president Rodrigo Duterte chose not to cast his vote for the BSKE.
The father and daughter have the same polling precincts in the school.
The vice president called on all Filipinos to go out and vote for BSKE.
“Napakahalaga ng role ng ating barangay officials sa ating pamahalaan dahil sila ang tinatawag natin na frontliners. Nasa communities sila, nasa grassroots sila at napakahalaga ng kanilang pagtatrabaho para yung serbisyo ng gobyerno, lahat ng trabaho ng gobyerno ay na penetrate doon sa ating barangays and communities,” she said in an interview with the Davao media.
On her Facebook Page, the vice president posted that the role of the barangay officials is important because they are in the first level of governance in the government and can provide assistance and solutions to the problems we face at the community level.
She also posted that their integrity and dedication to service need to be evaluated and defined by the people.
“Election is a unique process in which all Filipinos, regardless of their status of life, are given the opportunity to contribute to the Nation by electing the right to lead our society. Let’s show our unity as a country by voting. I am Inday Sara Duterte, from Davao City, expressing my support for a clean, honest, orderly, and peaceful Barangay and Youth Council Elections. Let us join hands in walking the way towards a more meaningful future for our beloved Philippines,” she posted.
Meanwhile, the vice president assured that the welfare of the teachers serving the BSKE was already taken care of.
Last month, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Department of Education (DepEd), and Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that would provide legal assistance to teachers who will serve during the BSKE.
“Nag sign tayo ng MOA with Comelec and Public Attorney’s Office kasi meron tayong incidents during the previous elections na nagkakaroon ng problema,” the vice president said.
The regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd 11) announced that 19,988 public teachers will be deployed for the conduct of BSKE 2023.
