The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday approved the extension of voter registration for more than two weeks from October 11 to 30.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the extended voter registration would be held from Monday to Friday during office hours.
“Extension is from October 11 to 30; Mon-Friday, no Saturdays, except for the last day (Oct. 30), 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.,” he said in a statement.
For this period, all services will be offered such as reactivation and registration for new voters and reactivation.
In August, the poll body suspended voter registration in the National Capital Region after it was placed under the strictest enhanced community quarantine.
At the time, Comelec offices in the region were also closed.
The voter registration was supposed to end on September 30 but due to clamor from various groups and some lawmakers, the Comelec extended the deadline.
While most of the registration will be carried out in Comelec offices, Jimenez said registration in malls would continue.
The registration for overseas voters has also been extended for two weeks, from October 1 to 14.
“Note that for overseas voting, the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) is not an issue, thus the extension starts immediately,” Jimenez said, referring to the filing of COCs from October 1-8.
3.6M new voters
The country now has 61 million registered voters, including 3,691,958 new voter registrants, for the 2022 national and local elections.
Data from Comelec’s Information and Technology Department showed that as of Aug. 13, 2021, Luzon posted the highest number with 2,045,837 new voters, Mindanao with 937,904, and the Visayas with 708,217.
Meanwhile, Comelec Director Elaiza David said it is all systems go for the filing of COCs that is set to start on Friday.
“The Comelec is ready, our field offices are ready and I can say it’s all systems go. The same goes for the national level filing that will be held at Sofitel,” she said during the Laging Handa briefing Wednesday.
Aspirants for national positions, such as president, vice president, senator, and party-list representative are set to file their COCs at the Sofitel tent in Pasay City.
Those who are aspiring for local positions will be filing their COCs before the local Comelec office in their city or municipality where they intend to be elected.
Over 18,000 positions are at stake in next year’s polls.
Secured and orderly elections
With the extended voter registration, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, said the public’s eagerness to register and cast their vote in the coming elections only encourages the police force to step up its measures to make sure that the polls will be secured and orderly.
“Our aggressive operations against private armed groups and loose firearms have been intensified in order to deny any individual and group the opportunity to hijack the healthy and clean exercise of our democratic process on the days leading to the May polls and the Election Day,” Eleazar said in a statement.
He said the PNP will continue to coordinate with Comelec to guarantee a peaceful voting registration process.
Source: Philippines News Agency
