TACLOBAN CITY (PIA)—Starting with the May 2025 National and Local Elections, Biliran Province State University (BIPSU) in Naval, Biliran, will serve as a polling precinct, becoming the first university in the region to take on this role.
This development follows a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed on October 2, 2024, between the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and BIPSU.
Under this agreement, the university will provide classrooms equivalent to the number of clustered precincts in Barangay Padre Inocentes Garcia, located in Naval town.
For the May 12, 2025 elections, BIPSU will provide 10 rooms for the five clustered precincts of Barangay Padre Inocentes Garcia.
This will include five rooms designated as voting centers and five additional rooms for voters waiting in line. In recent elections, Atty. Hassile Entatano, the Election Officer of Naval, Biliran, noted significant congestion at the Naval SPED Elementary School, which served approximately 4,149 voters—2,680 from Barangay Padre Inocentes Garcia and 1,469 from Barangay Santissimo Rosario.
This overcrowding raised concerns about crowd control and security, particularly since both barangays share poll workers and police personnel.
Atty. Entatano emphasized that schools are designated as politically neutral facilities, making BIPSU a fitting choice as a polling center.
BIPSU is also the only government facility within Barangay Padre Inocentes Garcia that can accommodate its 2,680 registered voters.
The MOA was signed by Atty. Maria Corazon S. Motallana, Assistant Regional Director of COMELEC in Eastern Visayas; Dr. Victor C. Cañeso, President of BIPSU; Dr. Erwin G. Salvatierra, Vice-President for Students and External Affairs of BIPSU; and Atty. Entatano.
COMELEC will handle the timely setup of election equipment and materials in the designated rooms, as well as maintenance, security, and other post-election procedures.
BIPSU will ensure that the rooms are suitable for use as polling centers, providing appropriate space, facilities, and electricity.
Additionally, the university will grant COMELEC staff and election personnel access to the rooms at least three days prior to the elections to facilitate pre-election, election day, and post-election activities. (RLA/PIA-8)
