The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on Tuesday said the midterm elections saw a remarkable surge in youth participation, calling it an “emergent force” that could shape future polls.

“They came in droves,” said PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson, referring to young voters aged 18 to 30, during a forum with journalists in Quezon City.

Singson said the youth made up around 35 percent of voters who enthusiastically took part in the 12 May elections — a turnout that spiked from 74 percent in 2019 to an impressive 82 percent this year.

“It felt like a presidential election,” she said. “They knew what they wanted — candidates who were more educated than them, people with integrity. It’s like an awakening movement.”

She added that the PPCRV was pleased with how smoothly the elections ran overall, crediting the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for its quick response to any issues.

“If there was a problem, it was solved within an hour. The technical support was fast and overall, the process went really well across the country,” Singson said, referring to the automated voting and counting system.

30 tons of campaign trash collected

Meanwhile, in Quezon City, officials said around 30 tons of illegal campaign posters were taken down as part of the city’s Operation Baklas.

According to Police Col. Remigio Gregorio, acting chief of the Department of Public Order and Safety, the mountain of election materials — mostly illegally placed tarpaulins — was hauled to the Payatas Waste Disposal Facility, where it was inspected by Comelec chair George Garcia.

Despite the usual campaign clutter, Quezon City police reported a peaceful election day.

QCPD acting director Col. Randy Glenn Silvio said the polls were conducted in a smooth and orderly manner, with no reports of election-related violence in the city.

With the midterms behind them, local election officials are now shifting focus to the next challenge: the manual voting and counting for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this December.

“We’re already preparing for it,” said Quezon City election officer Raul Talavera. “It will be a different setup from the automated elections, but we want to make sure it’s just as orderly.”