The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is setting up voter
registration booths inside several Robinsons Malls beginning today,
September 6 until October 15 next year in a bid to encourage more
qualified voters to register for the forthcoming 2016 national
elections.
Comelec said the voter registration booths will be open Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We noticed that the number (of registered voters) is not that high,
so we are taking the initiative to go to the voters, instead of the
voters going to our offices,” Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said.
Brillantes, along with other Comelec officials and representatives
from the Robinsons Land Corporation will hold the launching ceremonies
of the voter registration booths at Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons
Galleria in Ortigas, Robinsons Metro East Pasig City, and Forum
Robinsons in Mandaluyong,
Prior to the tie-up with Robinsons malls, voter registration is done
only at the offices of Election Officers (OEOs) nationwide, as well as
some satellite registrations in different barangays being manned by the
poll body.
Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said the undertaking is aimed at
encouraging the mall- going public to register and have their biometric
records taken.
The memorandum of agreement between Comelec and Robinsons Land Corporation was finalized last August 18.
The Comelec is expecting about 56 million registered voters to
exercise their rights to vote in May 2016. The number of registered
voters, however, is only 49 million, following the deactivation of
voters who either passed away or failed to cast their votes in the two
previous elections.
Meantime, at least 218 Marikina detainees took advantage, of the
satellite registration program of the Bureau of Jail Management and
Penology and the local Comelec office.
Based on a Comelec Resolution No. 8811, the detainees can cast their
votes in special polling precincts inside the detention facility
