A senior citizen in the Philippines died from a heat stroke after casting his vote.
The Manila Bulletin reported on this, noting the elderly voted around 11:00 am in Barangay Santiago, Bauang, La Union, but has yet to provide further details on the incident.
The 2019 polls was spoiled by some precincts with defective vote counting machines (VCMs), causing delays and jamming several precincts with long queues of voters who stay despite Monday’s scorching heat.
The Commission of Elections estimated about 400 to 600 out of 85,000 VCMs malfunctioned.
High-profile voters were confronted with issues as well; former president Jejomar Binay was unable to cast his vote as the VCMs repeatedly rejected his ballot. But he was allowed by Comelec to cast his vote hours later.
Meanwhile, the VCM at the precinct in San Juan where reelectionist senator Grace Poe is set to vote also experienced technical difficulties.
Meanwhile, in Makati City, some have reportedly resorted to hitting the machine whenever it keeps having paper jams.
Election officer advised precinct officers not to shake or hit the machines with defect.
