An official from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Saturday, Sept. 11, the poll body aims to give voters a "comfortable" place to register during mall registrations.

(JUAN CARLOS DE VELA / MANILA BULLETIN)

Comelec held a national synchronized mall registration on Saturday, 19 days before the Sept. 30 voter registration deadline in an apparent bid to accommodate more voter applicants.

"We have been conducting satellite registrations simula pa nung nakaraang elections (since the last elections), pero nakita ko kasi na kailangang malaman ng mga tao na halos lahat na ng mga mall ngayon ay pwede tayong magparehistro and it's safe to register (but I saw the need to tell people that almost all malls now allow them to register and it's safe to register)," Commissioner Aimee Ferolino said during the National Synchronized Mall Voter Registration Day.

"Marami yung natatakot na baka pag pumunta sila sa opisina ng Election Officers dikit-dikit yung mga tao kasi kadalasan naman hindi gaano malaki yung ating mga opisina buong bansa. Nakita ko yung kahalagahan ng isang magandang venue at ang launching na ito (Many are afraid that when they go to the Election Officers office, there would be crowding because our offices are not that big. I saw the importance of a good venue and this) is to show to the people na we partnered with the malls to give the people a comfortable place to register," Ferolino added.

The Commissioner said the synchronized mall registration also shows that it's safe to vote in the upcoming elections.

"Pwede nating pag-aralan, possibly i-conduct (We can study the possibility of conducting votings in malls). We just need to study kung walang mga balakid (if there are no obstcles). But that would be a good option if wala tayong (there are no) legal impediments," Ferolino said.

Select malls that Comelec partnered with are Robinsons Malls, Ayala Malls, and SM Supermalls.