CEBU. The Comelec-Central Visayas and its satellite offices held on August 19, 2023 a simultaneous Mall Voting Simulation to test the preparation of electoral boards for the October Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. (Honey Cotejo)
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Central Visayas is now 80 percent ready for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), which will be held on October 30, an official said.
Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, regional director of Comelec-Central Visayas, said Saturday, August 19, 2023, that they allocated the remaining 20 percent to preparation for the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (COC), which will be from August 28 to September 2.
In July, the Supreme Court (SC) declared the law postponing the BSKE from December 5, 2022 to October 2023 “unconstitutional,” leading to speculations that the October BSKE might also be rescheduled.
Castillano said they would have the same preparations regardless of whether the BSKE will push through in October or not. But he said the Comelec national office will release a decision on the matter sometime in September.
“It is not only the public hearing that would be the basis. There are also other factors, such as, first, we do not know who the candidates are. Usually, after the filling of COC comes intense political rivalry. Rest assured the Comelec will have a decision before October,” said Castillano.
On Saturday, August 19, Comelec-Central Visayas and other Comelec satellite offices conducted a simultaneous Mall Voting Simulation to test the preparation of electoral boards (EB) for the October BSKE.
In Cebu City, the activity was held at the Robinsons Galleria mall, with 50 voter participants from Barangay Parian.
Castillano said the dry run went smoothly, stressing that they did not encounter any challenges.
He said two barangays in Cebu — Barangay Pitogo in Consolacion with around 2,000 voters and Barangay Parian with 1,500 out of 3,900 voters — will have their voting precincts located in the nearest shopping malls to avoid overcrowding.
The rest of the barangays will have precincts in schools.
The BSKE voters registration was conducted from December 12, 2022 to January 31, 2023. As of March 30, a total of 4,585,395 voters have been registered in 1,203 barangays in Cebu Province.
The Comelec said the established precincts for the BSKE in Cebu are 40,033, while the total number of voting centers is 1,195. (HIC)
