Learning Opportunity 2 Directions: Listen to a news report about the 2022 Elections in the Philippines through this link: bit.ly/English 7News. Jot down the important details from the text and use your notes to answer the following questions.

1. Which government agency is primarily concerned with the May 2022 polls?

2. As suggested in the text, in what year was the last national election held?

3. What was the sole bidder's reason for backing out from supplying vote counting machines for the next elections?

4. Why were some lawmakers anxious about the upcoming elections?

5. How can the Comelec avoid further spread of Covid-19 on the election day?

Note: If the online link is not accessible, you may use the given transcript of the same text. You may ask your guardian or your elder sibling to read it aloud, so you can still practice listening.

Voting centers for the May 2022 polls could be just as crowded as they were three years ago. As much as a thousand voters could be assigned per precinct if the Commission on Elections fails to secure an additional 10,000 vote counting machines to decongest classrooms on May 9. No company took part in the first bidding on Thursday. Smartmatic was the only interested firm but backed out saying that Comelec's offer of 60,000 pesos per unit is too cheap. At the budget hearing on Friday, lawmakers expressed fear that next year's polls could be a Covid-19 superspreader. Members of the House Appropriations Committee asked Comelec if they can cut the number of voters per precinct to 600, but the poll body says it would entail huge costs. Comelec will need nearly 24 billion pesos if it adds more voting machines to create new precincts and nearly 20 billion pesos more for the proposed two-day election. However, only 13 billion pesos was given to Comelec for the next elections under the 2022 spending plan. That's a 7-billion cut from Comelec's request, reducing funds for medical supplies and benefits for poll workers.​