The leadership of the House of Representatives on Saturday gave its full support for the Commission on Elections’ plan to use facilities of shopping malls nationwide as voting centers in next year’s local and national elections.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he is confident that the Comelec will be able to hold the elections in malls orderly and peacefully.
“The proposed mall voting is a good idea. I am confident that the Comelec will be able to carry out this plan competently,” Belmonte told The Standard.
Belmonte’s statement came as Comelec chairman Andres Bautista had earlier said the poll body is all set to implement its plan to use malls as polling precincts.
Belmonte, a lawyer, also agreed with Bautista in saying that there is no legal impediment to the Comelec’s proposal.
Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, House contingent head for the Minority Bloc of the Commission on Appointments, said he doubts that the Comelec will not succeed in its plan if has prepared a lot for it.
But Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro voiced his objection over the Comelec’s plan unless the poll body is able to address legitimate concerns to make it feasible.
“I entertain serious doubts on whether the Comelec is capable of managing or controlling the flow of people that co-mingle with voters during election day,” Castro, chair of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, said.
Castro added that “more importantly, considering the various disturbances around, there is a valid and strong reason to believe that the focus and concentration of voters who are there to exercise their sacred rights and duties would be impaired.”
Castro also cited security risks both for voters and to election ballots.
“Since the traffic of people is heavy, there is also a well-grounded reason to believe that election operators and/or manipulators can find impunity from the crowd in doing their illegal and nefarious activities without mentioning the enormous preparations that will have to be done to make the area designated by the mall management as voting area – secured and conducive to the purpose,” Castro added.
The Comelec had earlier said only voters whose precincts are located in schools located near the malls can vote in the malls.
An estimated two million registered voters will be transferred from schools to the malls, the poll body said.