Comelec will no longer extend voting registration

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) ordered that they will no longer extend the voters’ registration for the 2016 elections.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the commission given those who want to participate in the upcoming elections enough time to register.

In a report by Mayen Jaymalin of The Philippine Star, Bautista said the poll body is assessing the situation to determine if there is still a need to extend the registration period in areas severely affected by Typhoon Lando.

There’s still six remaining days for the public to to register and be able to vote in 2016 elections. The Comelec chief advised the public to go out and take advantage of the remaining days of registration, rather than waiting for the commission to extend the registration period.

The Comelec will undergo 12-hour, seven-day operation during the remaining days of voters’ registration.

40 augmentation teams were also formed by the agency to accommodate the huge number of registrants this week. Voting registration centers are available in several malls nationwide, in local government units such as gymnasium, convention centers, schools, and town plazas.

About 6 million registered voters have yet to claim their identification (ID) cards from the commission.

Bautista added that voter’s ID is a valid ID recognized by the local government for identification purposes. However, the ID is not a requirement in 2016 elections.

Southern Mindanao have at least 195, 326 voters without biometrics in the region and allowing them to vote.

In Davao City, there are still 126,873 who still don’t have their biometrics. The rest of them are from Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostella Valley, and Davao Occidental.

In a recorded data of Comelec Region XI, out of 2.2 million voters, only 8% remained without the biometrics.

More than 126,000 voters still need to submit their biometrics. The Comelec already set up satellite offices in major shopping malls in three districts of Davao City.