THE oldest registered voter in the SM City Manila polling precinct was 81-year-old Nanay Ligaya Patanag.

She was also the first to cast her vote at 7:14 a.m. in the pilot precinct for the implementation of  Republic Act 10633, known as “An Act Authorizing the Commission on Elections [Comelec] to Establish Precincts Assigned to Accessible Polling Places Exclusively for Persons with Disabilities and Senior Citizens.”

Immediately after casting her vote, Patanag was assisted by the nurses in the first-aid station set up by SM to have her blood pressure checked.

Another elderly voter was Guillermo Roldan, 75 years old, who was pleased with the efforts of SM Cares and the Comelec.

“Maganda at mabilis din. Wala pang limang minuto tapos na ako. Kung ganito ulit sa susunod sa eleksyon, dito ako ulit boboto, baka mag-sama pa ako ng mga iba pang matatanda. Sana magpatuloy ang ganito para ang mga matatanda, hindi mahirapan,” Roldan said.

The Comelec designated four SM malls for select elderly citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to cast their votes with convenience. The four participating SM malls are SM City Manila, Lipa, General Santos and Cebu.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., during his rounds, was also impressed with the convenience their partnership with SM Cares brought to the voters. He also said this was just the beginning of better servicing the elderly citizens and PWD voters.

“We are very appreciative of SM. This is only our pioneer project. For 2016, we’re hoping to spread this to other places so we can provide convenience to the PWDs and the elderly. Tignan mo naman, dito air-con ang lugar at walang pila. Kung sa ibang presinto, nahihirapan sila palagi,” Brillantes said.

This joint effort of the Comelec and SM Cares is a reflection of their shared endeavor of providing convenience and quality service to all voters, especially the elderly citizens and the PWD community.