Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is piloting the setting up of separate polling places (SPP) for indigenous peoples (IPs) in Region IV-B, or Mimaropa provinces (Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) to cast their votes on May 9.

Lawyer Jerbee Anthony Cortez, regional election officer said the Indigenous Peoples Voting (IPV) project is a first in the country with two Mindoro provinces as pilot areas owing to the presence of eight tribes here or groups of Mangyan.