Comelec holds mock elections in 10 places on Saturday

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections is  to conduct “full blown” mock elections in 10 areas across the country on Saturday to give the nation a preview of the May 13 automated midterm balloting.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.  said the mock elections will simulate the entire election process from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with roughly 2,500 real registered voters participating.

“We are ready. All of our people are already scattered all over the country. We are just doing some praying so that there will be no problem,” Brillantes told the media. “We don’t expect the mock polls to be perfect. We are also anticipating some problems but we hope not a major one.”

In Metro Manila, 1,639 real voters from 11 actual precincts will troop to the polling stations in Barangays UP Campus and Bagong Lipunan ng Crame in the 4th district of Quezon City to cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

At the end of the mock balloting, election returns shall be printed and actual transmission of results to the city or municipal board of canvassers, the central server and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas shall also be conducted.

Mock elections will also be conducted in two schools in the 5th district of Manila but with fewer participants and a shorter voting period.

The small-scale event will have only 100 real voters trooping to the voting centers (Epifanio delos Santos Elementary School and Herminigildo Atienza Elementary School) from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., according to Comelec’s Education and Information Department.

Smaller versions of the mock elections  will also be conducted in Iriga City (Iriga Central School and Sta. Teresita Elementary School) and Bato (Bato North Elementary School and Antipolo Elementary School) in Camarines Sur; Dumaguete City (City Central Elementary School and Camanjac Elementary School) and Sta. Catalina (Santa Catalina North Central School and Kabulacan Elementary School) in Negros Oriental; Cagayan de Oro City (City Central School and Balulang Elementary School) and Initao (Initao Central School and Oguis Elementary School) in Misamis Oriental; Bongao (Lamion Walking Blackboard Elementary School and Simandagit Elementary School) in Tawi-Tawi and Buluan (Pilot Elementary School and Talitay Elementary School) in Maguindanao.

As in Manila City, 100 voters from each of the areas will be casting their ballots from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. only.

Brillantes said the Comelec will use fictitious foreign-sounding names to fill the posts for senators and the party-list groups in the mock ballots to avoid accidentally including actual candidates in the May 13 elections.