00:00 Around 300,000 voters will be able to cast their vote in malls in the Barangay and SK elections in October.
00:07 14 malls will serve as venues for the first ever mall voting exercise.
00:12 12 malls will participate in Metro Manila, while Legazpi City and Cebu City will have one each.
00:19 Comelec Chairman George Garcia says the priority is the convenience of voters.
00:24 We want to make it easier for our countrymen, especially the elderly, the pregnant women,
00:34 we want to make it easier for them to vote.
00:37 The poll body signed a deal with two major mall operators in the country on Monday.
00:42 The malls earlier served as venues for voter registration.
00:46 The Comelec clarified, not a single peso will be spent since mall operators will provide the space and security personnel.
00:54 Almost all the barangays around the malls, we consulted them first,
01:00 and they said they want to vote in that mall.
01:05 We will not stop the barangays from voting.
01:09 Comelec is confident mall voting will push through this year, after the plan got scrapped in 2016.
01:16 The poll body hopes mall voting will reduce vote-buying incidents.
01:20 We cannot avoid it, outside of the school, we are allowed to eat, we are allowed to go to places,
01:25 even if it is strictly prohibited.
01:27 Now, in voting in the malls, hopefully, we will be able to try.
01:31 How can they be able to buy if they are inside the malls, if our countrymen are voting directly?
01:36 Four malls will join the voting simulation on August 19.
01:40 If the pilot run is successful, Comelec seeks to expand mall voting nationwide.
01:46 Meanwhile, Comelec will simulate automated barangay and SK elections tomorrow.
01:51 This will be done in two barangays in Quezon City and Dasmariñas, Cavite.
01:55 Comelec says this will be a testing ground for nationwide automation.
02:00 If the barangay and SK elections will continue in 2025, Comelec may be able to automate the barangay and SK elections in 2020,
02:10 as long as we have a budget.
02:12 Paige Javier, CNN Philippines.
02:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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