ILOILO City – For the first time, voters from nine barangays in Western Visayas will be able to cast their ballots in shopping malls during the upcoming May 12 national and local elections.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Central Office recently released the list of malls designated as voting centers, along with the barangays assigned to vote there.
In Western Visayas, eight barangays from Iloilo City and one from Roxas City have been selected for the initiative.
Comelec has identified the malls and the barangays they will be serving:
* SM City Iloilo – Barangay Buhang Taft North, Mandurriao (Precincts: 0816A, 0816B, 0817A, 0818B, 0820A, 0821A, 0822A, 0822B)
* Robinsons Place Iloilo – Barangay Roxas Village, City Proper (Precincts: 0133A, 0133B); Barangay Magsaysay, City Proper (Precincts: 0077A, 0078A, 0079A, 0080A); Barangay Kauswagan, City Proper (Precincts: 0064A, 0065A, 0066A, 0066B); Barangay Osmeña, City Proper (Precincts: 0102A, 0102B, 0103A); and Barangay San Jose, City Proper (Precincts: 0146A, 0146B, 0147A)
* Robinsons Place Jaro – Barangay San Vicente, Jaro (Precincts: 0502A, 0502B, 0503A, 0503B, 0503C, 0504A, 0505A, 0506A, 0506PI)
* Festive Walk Mall Iloilo – Barangay Airport, Mandurriao (Precincts: 0783A, 0789A, 0789B, 0790A, 0783A, 0784A, 0784PI, 0785A, 0785B, 0786A, 0786B, 0787A, 0787B, 0788A, 0788B, 0791A, 0792A, 0793A)
* Robinsons Place Roxas – Barangay Poblacion X, Roxas City (Precincts: 0061A, 0062A, 0063A, 0064A, 0065A)
According to Atty. Pinky Jevini Tentativa, Iloilo City Election Officer IV, mall voting aims to ease congestion in school-based polling centers while providing a more convenient and comfortable voting experience.
“All registered voters from the approved barangays will vote at their assigned mall voting center. For instance, all voters from Barangay San Vicente in Jaro must proceed to Robinsons Place Jaro to cast their ballots,” Tentativa explained.
Before approving mall voting in Iloilo City, Comelec conducted public consultations, which received a positive response. Voters expressed willingness to participate in the initiative.
Comelec Iloilo City has since formalized a memorandum of agreement with political parties involved to ensure the smooth implementation of mall voting in the upcoming elections./PN
