Lawyers Jan Christian Babiera (left) and Renault Macarambon (2nd from left) join KCC Mall de Zamboanga marketing manager Ivy Joy Orpia (2nd from right) and events coordinator Marthy Melon (right) in signing an agreement on Friday (Feb. 21, 2025) for the first-ever mall voting in the Zamboanga Peninsula during the May 12 midterm elections. The initiative aims to provide a more convenient voting experience for registered voters. (PNA photo by Teofilo P. Garcia Jr.)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has partnered with KCC Mall de Zamboanga to host a polling place for the May 12 elections.
The polling place will be at the mall’s convention center, said lawyer Jan Christian Babiera, city election officer.
Six clustered precincts with one Automated Counting Machine (ACM) each will serve 4,944 registered voters from Barangay Camino Nuevo.
“This is the first time we will have mall voting here,” Babiera said Friday. “We are glad KCC Mall de Zamboanga is supportive.”
Voters from Barangay Camino Nuevo will vote at the mall instead of the Zamboanga Central School, Babiera said.
Lawyer Renault Macarambon, Zamboanga Peninsula election director, said mall voting would benefit senior citizens and people with disabilities.
It may also help prevent vote buying, he said.
“This is a huge step forward,” Macarambon said.
Camino Nuevo Barangay Chairperson Antonio Deles said his constituents are happy to have a comfortable place to vote.
This year marks the second time the Comelec has used mall voting. It was piloted in 10 shopping centers, mostly in Metro Manila, during the past election. (PNA)
