Photo by Matikas Santos/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—For senior citizens in Manila, voting was a stroll in the mall.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) pilot accessible polling places project was held in SM Manila where selected senior citizens from District 5 were allowed to vote.
The Board of Election Tellers (BET) said that 33 out of 37 senior citizens chosen for the Manila pilot project had voted in the mall as of 10:45 a.m. They were from Ermita, which is under District 5.
“They said it was more convenient here rather than to go up to the second floor of their precincts to vote,” Maricel Macale, chairman of the BETs, said.
“However, they thought that it was more fun here because it’s relatively quiet here,” she said.
Brillantes said that if this pilot project was successful, it would be done again in 2016.
The special polling precinct has a first aid station equipped with a wheel chair where senior citizens can have their blood pressure checked.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes and Commissioner Elias Yusoph tried out the amenities. Brillantes had a BP of 130/70 while Yusoph had 120/80.
He also took a ride on the wheelchair assisted by the mall’s nurses.