CEBU CITY, Philippines – As far as officials in Central Visayas are concerned, the region is ready to host more malls as voting centers in the future.
The Commission on Elections in Central Visayas (Comelec-7) is optimistic that they can expand the mall voting here following positive feedback from voters who joined its pilot implementation in two malls during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
“As to our mall voting, we have talked with our election officers there and they were generally peaceful and efficient,” said Ivan Delos Santos.
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For the BSKE on Monday, October 30, five precincts from Barangays Pari-an in Cebu City and Pitogo in Consolacion town were selected for the pilot testing of the mall voting.
Among those who joined the first round of mall voting were Linda Empasis and her 100-year-old mother, Caridad Mercado.
Both mother and daughter were voters in Barangay Pari-an, Cebu City. They casted their ballots for the Barangay and SK elections inside the Robinsons Galleria Cebu in North Reclamation Area (NRA).
Empasis, 71, said their family preferred voting inside the mall, adding that elections there are much more organized and convenient.
The women, however, observed a lack of manpower to accommodate the voters inside the mall.
The second site for mall voting in Cebu was SM Consolacion where 74-year-old Dionisio Impas voted.
For Impas, he said he welcomed the government’s initiative to hold voting precincts inside malls instead of schools.
When asked about his preference for casting his vote in the future, he said he was “fine” with either option, whether it be at the barangay hall or at the mall.
“Karon pa ni bitaw na naka botar ta diri sa SM, okay ra man na,” Impas added.
Comelec had selected over 400 malls nationwide for the pilot testing of mall voting, which formed part of their plans to enhance voters experience.
Here in Central Visayas, both the electoral body and law enforcers agreed on possibly including more malls in future elections, citing various advantages such as convenience, accessibility and better security than their school counterparts.
“We’re really happy for the positive feedback on the pilot implementation of the mall voting,” added Delos Santos.
/bmjo