Senior dies of heart attack after casting vote

MANILA, Philippines — An elderly man died of a heart attack after casting his vote in Oas, Albay yesterday morning.

Nestor Rensales collapsed inside the polling precinct at Oas South Central School in Barangay Ilaor Sur around 6:05 a.m.

Police said Rensales had a heart attack right after he cast his vote.

Medical staff at the voting precinct administered first aid on Rensales before taking him to the Josefina Belmonte Duran Albay Provincial Hospital in Ligao City where he was declared dead on arrival. It was learned that Rensales had a history of stroke.

The Department of Health declined to share information when sought for details. “The information is considered sensitive personal information, as it is protected by data privacy,” the DOH said.

“He is an individual patient and it (the incident) is not a public health emergency per se,” said DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo.

In Dagupan City alone, the Commission on Elections said 7,227 senior citizens cast their ballots during the special voting hours from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. at the different clustered polling precincts in the city.

The report also showed 962 PWDs, 398 pregnant women and 1,374 assistors in the city taking advantage of the early voting hours.

Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said a case of miscommunication regarding the early voting hours left many senior citizens furious.

“The priority polling place is not a precinct, meaning no automated counting machine can be found there but that is where our vulnerable sectors can mark their ballots,” said Laudiangco at a press briefing yetserday.

“Their names will be checked on the list and after confirming they are part of the vulnerable sector, they will be asked and if it’s OK to get their ballot from their precinct and bring it to the polling place so they can vote,” he said. The marked ballot would then be brought back to their assigned precinct.

Laudiangco also said some senior citizens felt dismayed when asked where they intended to vote – whether at the ground floor or on the second floor of the precinct. — Cesar Ramirez, Ramon Efren Lazaro