THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is ready for last- minute applications for registration for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections set on October 23.
With this, Comelec Chairman Juan Andres D. Bautista said the poll body expects many people to troop to the Offices of Election Officers (OEOs) nationwide in the last three days of the registration period, which is set to end on April 29.
“That is really our usual problem. We already know that there will be many last-minute applicants,” he added.
At the same time, Bautista called on the public not to wait for the last day of the registration to avoid long queues. “Please let us not wait for the last minute on the last day before registering,” he appealed to prospective voters. The registration period for the village and youth elections started on November 7, 2016, and will last until April 29, 2017.
Latest data from the Comelec showed it has already received 2,174,601 applications for registration.
Bautista said the poll body expects the figure to go up, because of those who will register in the last days of the registration period.
“I think that we’re happy with the 2.1 million but we still expect the number going up, because of the last-minute applicants,” he added.
Meanwhile, personnel of the Comelec’s Education and Information Department (EID) will be visiting several OEOs in the country to check on voter-registration activities.
“It is critical that the commission tries to amplify and disseminate the motivation of people, who are in line for voter registration, so as to encourage those that haven’t registered yet,” EID Director James Jimenez said in a statement.
Among the registration centers that are scheduled to be visited are OEOs of San Pascual, Bauan and Batangas City in Batangas on Wednesday; OEO of Taguig City and the People’s Center City Hall in Muntinlupa City on Thursday; and some cities in Pangasinan on Friday.