MALL VOTING. Commission on Elections Chairperson George Erwin Garcia and SM Supermalls president Steven Tan (3rd and 4th from left) sign on Monday (Aug. 7, 2023) the memorandum of agreement for mall voting for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) this October at SM City Manila. The Comelec said around 300,000 voters, especially those from the vulnerable sector, are expected to participate in select areas of mall voting in Metro Manila, Legazpi City and Cebu City. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday launched its mall voting for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) this October, making voting easier and more accessible especially to the vulnerable sector.
"Ito po'y para sa mga nakatatanda, sa mga may kapansanan, sa ating mga kababayan na heavily pregnant women, at sa lahat ng mga gusto po na mag-avail ng pagboto sa mall... Kumbinyente, maayos, at the same time masisigurado nating protektado at secured ang kanilang pagboto (This is for the elderly, persons with disabilities, heavily pregnant Filipino women and to all the citizen who wants to avail of the mall voting... [It is] convenient, organized and at the same time, we are assured of a protected and secured voting)," Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in an interview of the first historic launching.
Garcia said the memorandum of agreement signed by Comelec with SM Supermalls at SM City Manila on Monday covers voting in 12 malls in Metro Manila, and one mall each in Legazpi City and Cebu City.
"Mga involved na botante diyan, kung hindi tayo nagkakamali, mga 300,000 din sa lahat-lahat (The involved voters, if we're not mistaken, will be around 300,000 in total)," he said.
Besides accessibility and convenience, Comelec expects mall voting can also help reduce vote-buying incidents which typically happen outside precincts or school vicinities.
"Ngayon po dito sa pagboto sa malls, hopefully, masusubukan natin, paano sila makakabili kung nandito sa loob ng malls, kung dire-diretsong boboto ang mga kababayan natin (Now through the mall voting, hopefully, we can test, how they can [vote buy] if they're inside the malls and our fellow citizens are voting smoothly)," Garcia added.
Moreover, mall owners are expected to allocate funds to ensure the security of the voting process, as well as for the needed equipment and voting spaces.
"Nagpapasalamat tayo sa mall owners and operators sapagkat buong puso nilang ipinagkaloob sa Commission on Elections ang paglilingkod na ito. Kasama po ito sa kanilang corporate social responsibility, wala pong kahit singkong duling na ginastos ang Commission on Elections dito (We are thankful to the mall owners and operators because they wholeheartedly granted this service to the Commission on Elections. This is included in their corporate social responsibility, the Comelec did not spend a single centavo for this)," Garcia said.
The Comelec, however, clarified that mall voting is only applicable for barangays that expressed their intention to participate in the conduct of voting on nearby select malls following the poll body's local consultations.
"Sana po sa ating mga kababayan, pagbigyan ninyo ang inyong Commission on Elections, ginagawa po natin ito upang mapadali po ang inyong pagboto, upang mapag-usapan at 'yung inyong karapatang bumoto sa saligang batas ay ma-exercise niyo po (We hope for Filipinos to cast their votes in these malls. The Commission on Elections is launching mall voting to make your voting experiences easier, so [we can] discuss, that you may exercise your right to vote under the constitution)," Garcia said.
The Comelec said that once the BSKE's mall voting becomes successful, it will target to utilize all malls nationwide for the 2025 BSKE elections.
Meanwhile, the Comelec in Albay on Monday confirmed that Legazpi City has been chosen as a pilot site for mall voting for BSKE elections in the Bicol region.
In a phone interview, Comelec-Albay Election Supervisor Ma. Aurea Bo-Bunao said the venue will be the SM City Legazpi, where the registered voters are expected to have a convenient, easier and more comfortable way of casting their ballots.
"We are one of the pilot areas, that will have a mall voting this coming BSKE election. They will not go to their previous voting center, they will now go to the designated area in SM Legazpi that will be considered as the voting area," Bo-Bunao said.
She said a simulation exercise will be conducted to ensure a safe and smooth process of voting in the upcoming election.
"For advance information, we will have a mall voting simulation at SM Legazpi on Aug. 19, 2023. At least 50 registered voters from Barangay Capantawan will cast their vote during the simulation. With this activity, we can see what we need to do during the process, adjustments to take and more improvements," she said.
Bo-Bunao said if the mall voting would prove to be a success, they will encourage other malls in the province to have a memorandum of agreement with the agency for the same arrangement. (With a report from Connie Calipay/PNA)
