The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) revealed to the media on Wednesday that the agency is now dropping plans to conduct mall voting for the very first time in the Philippines this coming May 9, 2016. The announcement was revealed to the media by Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista who stated that the Comelec en banc voted 4-3 to push through the mall voting after approving the proposal last month.
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According to the Comelec’s record, at least 86 malls were supposed to be used as voting centers in one of the experimental plans of the Commission on Election before the plan was junked by the Comelec.
Comelec chairman Andres Bautista stated that the mall voting proposal was meant to enhance the voting experience so that more registered voters will exercise their right to vote in the election. However, there were arguments on whether or not the voting precincts should already be transferred to the malls 45 days before the elections in compliance with the law.
The Comelec chairman was quoted as saying “The issue was in respect to this 45-day transfer, that the interpretation was whether or not the approval and the transfer should happen 45 days before the election. What was being discussed was the approval happened on March 10, which is 60 days before the election. But what the others were saying is they should have transferred the precincts already to the mall. But when you think about it, the transfer actually happens on Election Day itself,” he said in an ABS-CBN News Channel interview.
Before the poll body decided to junk the plans of mall voting, critics raised questions about the plans of the Comelec, saying that the Omnibus Election Code orders the closure of stores, stals, and other types of vendors within 30 meters from the voting place on May 9.
They said the law also prohibits the use of private buildings to be used as polling places and that the whole building, not just a portion, where the polling place is located must be put under the control of Comelec.
Due to the latest announcement of the Commission on Election to junk the mall voting, the Comelec chairman apologized to voters who were already notified about the mall voting plan that will not push through.
