Poll body to hold mock elections in 10 areas

MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is all set to conduct its first full blown mock elections for the May 13 polls in at least 10 areas in the country Saturday.

In an interview, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., said the commission is already prepared for the mock polls and is praying that everything will be perfect except for some minor problems.

"Go na kami. All of our people are already scattered all over the country. We are just doing some prayer so that there will be no problem," said Brillantes.

He said that while they do not expect a "perfect" one, they are hoping that the problems would just be minor at best.

Brillantes said the mock polls will cover the entire process of election of checking the name in the official voters' list to the release of results of voting.

The Comelec – Education and Information Department (EID) said the mock polls will be held in 10 areas with the main precincts being in Barangays UP Campus (UP Integrated School) and Bagong Lipunan ng Crame (P. Bernardo High School) both located at the 4th District of Quezon City.

In the two precincts, voting will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. involving actual voters from 11 precincts with a total of 1,639 potential ballots.

Aside from the two, mock elections will also be held in the 5th district of Manila (Epifanio delos Santos Elementary School and Herminigildo Atienza Elementary School); Iriga City (Iriga Central School and Sta. Teresita Elementary School), and the Municipality of Bato (Bato North Elementary School and Atipolo Elementary School), in Camarines Sur; Dumaguete City (City Central Elementary School and Camanjac Elementary School) and the Municipality of Sta. Catalina (Santa Catalina North Central School and Kabulacan Elementary School), in Negros Oriental; Cagayan de Oro City (City Central School and Balulang Elementary School) and the Municipality of Initao (Initao Central School and Oguis Elementary School), in Misamis Oriental; and the Municipalities of Bongao (Lamion Walking Blackboard Elementary School and Simandagit Elementary School) in Tawi Tawi; and Buluan (Pilot Elementary School and Talitay Elementary School) in Maguindanao.

In these areas, the mock polls will be conducted on a smaller scale as it will only be held from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and will only involve 50 voters from each of the identified voting centers.

The ballots to be used will bear fictitious foreign names of candidates, according to Brillantes, in order to avoid accidently involving actual candidates in the May polls.

After the close of voting, there shall be the printing of Election Returns (ERs) by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, and the transmission of results to city/municipal Board of Canvassers, Central Server, and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP). (HDT/Sunnex)