The Commission on Elections en banc on Wednesday, September 29, unanimously voted to extend the voter registration from October 11 to 30, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said.
The voter registration that has been drawing thousands of applicants in Bacolod City in the past weeks was supposed to end on Thursday, September 30, but was extended amid calls from lawmakers and various groups.
Guanzon said the voter registration will be until September 30 and will resume October 11, the Monday after the filing of certificates of candidacy set October 1 to 8.
Voter registration in October will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, she said.
There will be no registration on Saturdays except for October 30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., she said.
Overseas voter’s registration extension is up to October 14 only, she added.
“As I have voted before (I was the lone vote), I voted in favor of extending voter registration,” Guanzon said.
Voter reactivation can still be done through email or personal appearance, she said.
ZUBIRI’S REACTION
The Comelec announcement of the extension came after the Senate and the House of Representatives ratified a bill extending the voter registration period, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said.
“We thank Chairman (Sheriff) Abas and the COMELEC for hearing the call not just of Congress, but of our people,” said Zubiri, author and sponsor of the Senate version of the bill.
“Judging by the packed lines at our registration sites, a lot of Filipinos want to vote, and they deserve the chance to do so”, Zubiri said.
“We’re very happy with this decision. This extension will do a lot for our democratic process. And I really hope our people take advantage of these extra three weeks, to get out, register, and eventually vote,” he said.*