Comelec skips malls owned by politicians

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista at the Comelec office in Manila. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ARNOLD ALMACEN

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will not consider shopping malls owned by or identified with politicians as possible polling places in the 2016 elections.

Comelec Chair Andres Bautista gave the assurance on Friday, saying the Comelec wanted to avoid conflict of interest in the plan to set up polling precincts at shopping malls for voters’ convenience.

“We cannot use Gateway Mall or other Araneta malls since [Interior] Secretary Mar Roxas is a possible candidate. We also cannot use Starmalls because it’s owned by the Villars, Sen. Cynthia Villar,” Bautista said in an interview on the sidelines of the satellite registration at SM Aura in Taguig City.

“That’s against the law. We cannot use private establishments owned by or those who support possible candidates or political parties,” Bautista said.

Roxas is the presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling Liberal Party while Villar is the wife of Nacionalista Party President Manuel Villar, who is also a former Senate President.

Roxas’ family owns Gateway Mall, Ali Mall and Farmers Plaza in Cubao, Quezon City.

The Villars own the Starmalls chain.

The law allows it

Section 42 of the Omnibus Election Code provides that in case there is no public school or other public building that can be used, other appropriate private buildings may be designated as polling places.

But the law states that such private buildings must not be “owned or occupied or possessed by any incumbent elective public official or candidate, or his relative within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity.”

Bautista said the Comelec did not want to politicize the conduct of voting at shopping malls in the 2016 polls.

“We want to ensure that our registration and voting will not be tainted with politics,” he said.

Bautista said the Comelec remained committed to exploring the legality and feasibility of setting up polling precincts at shopping malls.

“We are looking for other ways to expedite or make the voting process easier and more convenient for the voters. We want more Filipinos to vote because it strengthens our democracy,” he said.

Bautista said the Comelec was encouraged by the interest shown by two big shopping mall operators, Robinson’s Malls and SM Supermalls, in the 2016 plan.

SM Supermalls reportedly has agreed to allow 52 of its shopping malls as voting centers. Robinson’s also reportedly agreed to allow 42 of its shopping malls to be used by the Comelec during the elections.

He said the Comelec was also asking other shopping mall operators to participate in the endeavor.

Retailers’ group agrees

The Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) has expressed full support for the Comelec plan.

In a telephone interview yesterday, PRA vice chair Roberto Claudio Sr. said the PRA, which groups 80 percent of shopping malls in the country, was willing to help the Comelec and would convince other shopping malls to join the project.

“We are supporting [Comelec Chair Andres Bautista] and endorsing his proposal to use shopping malls as voting centers in the coming elections. We feel this is a good move to make it more convenient and comfortable for voters, especially for the voting areas that are congested. Conducting the voting in shopping malls will be more convenient,” Claudio said.

“In terms of security for voters, the dangers of crime-related activities will be minimized or avoided as shopping malls are secured by many guards. In terms of security of the election process, that will all depend on how prepared the Comelec will be in terms of manpower. They will need to deploy the teachers and equipment in the shopping malls and make the necessary preparations to ensure that voting is properly done and any irregularities will be avoided,” he said.

Claudio said PRA members were looking at not only allocating space for polling precincts but also providing assistance in terms of logistical requirements to ensure proper deployment during the balloting.

“We’re trying to coordinate with members to see what other possible assistance we can give. We can help in the logistical requirements or in getting sponsors for instance to feed the Comelec people, the teachers and other volunteers at the voting centers,” he said.

Skeptical

Some sectors appear skeptical about the proposal, though.

While the plan is a “creative and innovative” way to reach out to voters, there are other factors that the Comelec should consider, such as public perception and legality, according to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

“We are not totally against it. We just need to study the issues,” the PPCRV said.

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