Comelec conducts simulated BSKE voting in NCR malls

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday held voting simulations in selected malls in Metro Manila in line with preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Oct. 30.

Participating malls in the BSKE 2023 mall voting simulation were SM City Manila and Robinsons Place Manila, where voting booths and chairs were set up for voters.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia and Commissioner Nelson Celis, the commissioner-in-charge for mall voting, personally monitored the mall voting process which started at 7 a.m. in Robinsons Place Manila and the vote-counting process at 10 a.m in SM City Manila.

In a statement, the Comelec said a total of 16,205 voters will participate in mall voting on election day in their respective voting centers.

Apart from SM City Manila (927 voters) and Robinsons Place Manila (802 voters), mall voting will also take place in SM City Legazpi (719 voters), Robinsons Galleria Cebu (1,667 voters), Robinsons Metro East in Pasig (465 voters), SM City Consolacion in Cebu (2,394 voters), Robinsons Place Las Piñas (1,970 voters), Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City (2,459 voters), SM City North in Quezon City (2,321 voters) and SM City Sucat in Parañaque City (2,481 voters).

Aside from being accessible and convenient to voters, Comelec said mall voting can also help reduce vote-buying incidents which usually take place outside voting precincts or school vicinities.

Garcia earlier said they are hopeful that Filipinos will cast their votes in these malls.

On Aug. 7 the Comelec signed separate agreements with Robinsons Malls and SM Supermalls for the BSKE 2023 Mall Voting, designating the participating malls as voting centers of the voters assigned therein. This agreement came at no cost for Comelec.