By Liezelle Soriano

MANILA — Malls across the nation will serve as voting precincts in the 2025 mid-term elections following the successful pilot run during the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said Thursday (14 March 2024).

“We will be holding elections in all malls nationwide, especially in Metro Manila,” Garcia announced.

He emphasized, “It’s more comfortable, a bit cooler, with no room for vote buying, violence, dirt, or mess.”

However, Garcia mentioned that voting in schools will continue.

“We have what we call a consultation process. This means that if the majority of residents in that barangay or precinct prefer to vote in the mall, then we will relocate you. We will not force the relocation of the voting venue,” stated the Comelec official.

Meanwhile, Garcia assured that the government would not incur additional expenses by using malls as voting precincts.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

TAKING NOTICE that only about 40 percent of the estimated 1.7 million overseas Filipino qualified voters were able to vote in past electoral exercises, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now eyeing to implement internet voting for Filipinos based abroad in the upcoming 2025 midterm polls

On Wednesday, November 22, Comelec Chairman George Garcia explained that this move is aimed to increase the voter turnout and to make it more convenient for overseas Pinoy voters.

“Para sa 2025, regardless whether there is law or not, the Comelec is pursuing internet voting for overseas Filipinos,” disclosed Garcia during the Updates on Political Party Institutionalization and the 2025 National and Local Elections conference held at The Bayleaf Intramuros in Manila.

He added that despite the 2022 polls’ seeing the highest overseas voting numbers, they were still less than half of the registered Filipino voters abroad.

“That’s very important. Kasi ang botante abroad in 2022 ay 1.697 million pero ang nakaboto, 40.59 percent lang. That’s about 670,000 but it’s the highest in the history of overseas voting, highest pa po ‘yon,” Garcia noted.

Presently, there are two ways of voting for Filipinos abroad.

The first option is for the voter to go to the Philippine embassy or consulate to cast his or her vote.

And the second option is through the mail, wherein the embassy or the consulate sends the official ballot to the voter, who then mails it back to the diplomatic post.

(AI/MNM)

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia (with microphone) conducted a press conference Friday at the Comelec main office in Intramuros for a final update on the recently concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Addressing the concerns about sporadic incidents of violence during the BSKE,  Garcia emphasized that, on the whole, the recent election had transpired peacefully.

Earlier, the chairman said the canvassing and proclamation of BSKE winners in all of the 42,001 barangays nationwide were completed on Nov. 1 including all barangays in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“The only remaining unproclaimed candidates were the ones ordered suspended by the Commission and (those in) areas where the electoral board availed itself of the five-day notice rule,” said Garcia.

“No failure of the election was declared anywhere,” he added.

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos also said that all 19,000 barangay captains and 17,160 youth council winners have already been proclaimed.

(Benjamin Cuaresma/ai/mnm)

By Liezelle Soriano

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said that persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) may still run for office if there is no final conviction yet.

Garcia made the clarification after three PDLs won in the recently-concluded Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) 2023.

The Comelec chairperson cited the case of Aguinaldo v. Comelec in which the Supreme Court ruled that inmates have the right to vote and be voted as long as final judgment has not been made yet.

“Pinayagan natin sila makaboto sapagkat sabi po ng Korte Suprema doon sa kaso ng Aguinaldo versus Comelec at saka po [Bureau of Corrections], dahil hindi pa sila finally convicted, wala pang final judgment na sila ay guilty, therefore, meron pa silang karapatan bumoto at may karapatang maiboto. ‘Yun po ang kadahilanan kung bakit sila ay nakaboto at nakatakbo,” Garcia said in an interview with DZBB.

Garcia said PDLs are still not permitted to attend barangay halls in order to serve, even if they are permitted to seek office.

“Ngayon, paano sila magsisilbi? In the meantime, siguro naman po ay alam ng mga constituency nila na sila ay nasa kulungan… In the meantime, deprived of liberty po siya and very limited ang kaya at pwede lamang niyang gawin,” he said.

(ai/mnm)

By Liezelle Soriano

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. told the newly elected barangay officials to be honest all the time as they play an important role in the community.

The Chief Executive also congratulated those who won the elections.

“Binabati ko ang lahat ng mga bago at muling nahalal na barangay at SK officials. Napakahalaga po ng inyong papel sa ating lipunan,” Marcos said in a video message.

“Maging tapat po tayo sa lahat ng oras. Lagi po nating unahin ang kapakanan ng sambayanan sapagkat sila po ang dahilan kung bakit nais nating magsilbi sa bayan,” he added.

On Monday, the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) were “successful and peaceful,” according to the President.

Despite the numerous violent occurrences that were recorded on election day at various polling places nationwide, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said that there was no failure of election during BSKE.

“Despite the fact of our limited resources, nakakagawa sila ng mga pamamaraan upang maituloy lang ‘yong election, dahil and pangako natin, there should be no failure of election in any of the 201,786 precincts in the country, and we stood to that commitment na walang failure of election dapat,” Garcia said.

While some voting places opened later than expected due to various problems, especially security, he said that all of the 201,786 precincts nationwide operated normally during this year’s elections.

(ai/mnm)

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) revealed that a total of 19 election-related fatalities occurred in seven regions during the recently concluded 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) elections.

According to data provided by the electoral commission, these incidents of election-related violence took place between August 28 and October 31.

Among these fatalities, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) experienced the highest number, with 11 deaths, 13 incidents, and 14 individuals injured.

Two fatalities were reported in each of Regions V (Bicol) and VII (Central Visayas), while one fatality occurred in each of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), Regions IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), IV-A (Calabarzon), and I (Ilocos).

Injured Teachers

In response to these incidents, Comelec Chairman George Garcia announced that the commission is prepared to provide hospital assistance of up to PHP200,000 to teachers who were injured while fulfilling their responsibilities as Election Boards (EBs).

“We will offer a maximum of PHP200,000 in hospital assistance to them,” Chairman Garcia stated during a press briefing.

Chairman Garcia noted that fewer than ten teachers sustained injuries, with causes ranging from snake bites and vehicular accidents to heart attacks.

Honoraria Distribution

Chairman Garcia further mentioned that the distribution of honoraria to teachers has commenced in Region 3 (Central Luzon). He assured that teachers across other parts of the country would receive their honoraria by the end of the week.

“They (teachers) will receive their honoraria by Friday, provided that the proclamations have been made,” the Chairman of the electoral commission affirmed.

(IA/mnm)