Ace Jeremy Talaugon Nacua, 19, describes his experience voting for the first time as “smooth and orderly.” (MYP/PIA7 Cebu)
CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – Ace Jeremy Talaugon Nacua, 19, exercised his right to vote for the first time during the 2025 National and Local Midterm Elections on May 12, 2025.
A registered voter from Barangay Calamba, Cebu City, Nacua expressed hope for a peaceful and organized electoral process.
“Ang akong expectation sa 2025 elections kay hopefully, organisado ra ang tanan, smooth ra ang dagan unya peaceful,” said Nacua.
(My expectation for the 2025 elections is that everything will hopefully be organized, the process will run smoothly, and it will be peaceful.)
On Election Day, Nacua’s expectations were met. Inside the polling precinct, he found the process smooth and the atmosphere calm.
He observed the presence of police officers who ensured peace and order, which reassured him and others in the area.
“So far, this year’s election has met my expectations. I have observed an efficient and orderly voting process with police officers standing to maintain the peace and order in the area,” Nacua said.
But like many voters, he also had suggestions for improvement.
He pointed out the need to make voting rooms more voter-friendly – comfortable enough to endure the wait, especially those in long queues.
Peaceful, orderly elections
Nacua’s experience was echoed at a larger scale after the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 described the voting process in Central Visayas as “generally peaceful.”
PRO7 regional director, Police Brgi. Gen. Redrico A. Maranan, in a press conference on May 12, declared the conduct of the 2025 midterm elections in Central Visayas as generally peaceful.
Maranan attributed this to the security preparations implemented by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“So far, wala tayong major untoward incidents doon sa more than 2,000 polling centers na ating minonitor, maghapong nakatutok ang ating mga kapulisan doon,” he said.
(So far, we have had no major untoward incidents in the more than 2,000 polling centers we monitored. Our police officers were on full watch all day.)
Maranan also disclosed that PRO7 utilized digital innovations, such as drone surveillance, 100 percent 100% camera coverage in over 2,000 precincts, and the use of live-streaming and recording devices.
“Meron kaming ginamit na bagong innovation. Sa more than 2,000 na polling centers natin ay nakamonitor tayo rito real-time using alternative recording device na CCTV videos ganun din ang ating mga drones,” he said.
(We also used a new innovation—real-time monitoring of all polling centers using alternative recording devices such as CCTV and drones.)
In their operations during election day, Maranan said they intercepted 10 vote-buying incidents, resulting in 11 arrests and the seizure of over P250,000 in cash used as alleged bribe money.
These cases were uncovered through reports to the PNP and alerts from Kontra-Bigay teams deployed across Central Visayas.
In addition, from May 10 to 12, the police recorded 13 incidents of illegal firearm possession.
Maranan thanked the public and the security forces for ensuring the peaceful conduct of the elections.
“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa lahat nating kababayan, lahat po sila ay sumunod sa mga security measures na ating pinatupad,” he said.
(We thank all our fellow citizens who complied with the security measures we implemented.) (MYP/PIA7 Cebu)
