Calasiao voters reject mall voting
UNEXPECTED SENTIMENT
CALASIAO–The residents of Barangay San Miguel in this town rejected the plan to make them vote on May 9 inside Robinson’s Place Calasiao, a cool and comfortable venue for the 12-hour voting.
Ironically, this sentiment was conveyed during a public hearing conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on February 4 at Robinson’s Place Calasiao.
The public hearing was called by Comelec Director Noli Pipo and Provincial Elections Officer Marino Salas on the offer of Robinsons to host two clustered precincts of Barangay San Miguel made up of 1,500 voters.
Also present during the public hearing was Assistant Regional Director Reddy Balarbar.
Balarbar said he found it strange that the barangay folks rejected mall voting when residents in other areas welcome it.
Those who attended the public hearings were unanimous in rejecting the offer to vote inside the mall, indicating they want to line up in crowded classrooms of San Miguel Elementary School like everyone else.
The sentiment of one middle aged voter in the village reflected the unanimous decision when he said they have no right to be exempted while the rest of the voters are lining up outside classrooms.
Only two clustered precincts was proposed to be relocated to the Robinson’s Mall. The rest of the precincts with over 2,300 voters in the village will remain at San Miguel Elementary School.
Pipo told the residents that the Robinson’s Place presents an opportunity to solve the problem of overcrowding in the election precincts of Barangay San Miguel, even as he clarified that Comelec is not promoting mall voting but simply wants to listen to the sentiments of the residents to be affected by the proposal.
He explained that mall voting is an idea of Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista to make it convenient for voters living near malls to cast their votes in the malls near them instead of queuing up in crowded classrooms in schools.
He said the idea was supported by the Comelec en banc and issued a resolution endorsing it but public hearings has to be conducted as part of due process.
The Comelec regional and provincial offices will also conduct public hearings at the SM City Rosales and CB Mall in Urdaneta City. No other place in Region 1 had been tapped for possible mall voting. (Leonardo Micua)
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