MANILA, Philippines — Former beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez took to Twitter on Monday to lament struggles of voters – long lines and cruel heat – at polling centers.
“Watching the news, long lines, our fellow Pinoys sweating and fainting under the heat while waiting for their turn to vote is making me stressed. No wonder most of my friends went to the beach [na lang] to relax,” she wrote.
Watching the news, long lines, our fellow Pinoys sweating and fainting under the heat while waiting for their turn to vote is making me stressed. 😫No wonder most of my friends went to the beach naLang to relax. #Elections2019
— Ruffa Gutierrez (@iloveruffag) May 13, 2019
Netizens, however, seemed to not receive the actress’ tweet so well, as they reminded her of the importance of voting.
But Gutierrez addressed the criticism, saying: “If some people would rather leave the country or go to the beach during election time, let them be. [What is] important is we tried to encourage them and we will vote.”
Gutierrez flew to Cebu to vote. She then noticed that some vote counting machines have malfunctioned. She said voting should be “seamless” and not “depressing.”
“I voted for compassion, inclusion, integrity [and] divorce,” she said. “I voted for two exceptional women who are against divorce but based my vote on their overall performance. My personal opinion might be different from yours. But [that is okay].” /kga