It’s been a hell of a year.
For the Comelec, 2020 started on a high note—with the resumption of voter registration in preparation for the 2022 National and Local Elections. We started in January with good registration numbers. In the first week alone, more than a hundred thousand applications were received in Comelec offices nationwide. But with Covid-19 emerging as a major health crisis, and with the early recognition of social distancing as a key response to the virus, the Comelec suspended voter registration nationwide beginning March 10. Knowing what we know now about how Covid-19 spreads, it’s probably safe to say that this action, which antedated similar recommendations from health authorities, probably saved lives.
The resumption of voter registration activities was attempted many times since March, but the prevailing conditions made it unsafe for both the general public and Comelec personnel to do so. However, on June 15, 2020, the Comelec took its first tentative steps back towards normalcy with the resumption of the issuance of voter certifications. This was in response to the growing demand for such certifications, which—as it turned out—were being used to qualify for government aid.
Throughout the country, Comelec offices underwent retrofitting to become Covid-ready. This involved the installation of barriers—made of either glass or plastic—between Comelec staff and the public; disinfection stations; and social distancing measures. By September, with retrofitting completed in all the Comelec offices throughout the country, voter registration resumed in all places under general community quarantine. There were moves from outside the Comelec to have the suspension of registration extended indefinitely, but Comelec forged ahead. Strict safety protocols attended the resumption, of course, including a stringent “no face mask, no face shield, no entry” policy. As a consequence, since voter registration resumed on September 1, 2020, there has been no incidence of Covid transmission related to voter registration.
Sadly, the strict anti-Covid measures have taken their toll. As of December 11, only 863,309 applications for voter registration, transfer, reactivation and so on, have been received in Comelec offices throughout the country. With more than 5 million expected to register, and with the registration period scheduled to come to a close at the end of September 2021, having less than a million applicants over a 3-month period is, to be perfectly frank, worrisome.
Hopefully, the coming year will bring better numbers. And it is possible that the odds will ever so slightly be in our favor.
First—assuming the holidays don’t bring a runaway surge in new cases of Covid-19, more and more places in the Philippines are being placed under general community quarantine. This signifies that next year might see broad areas seeing more and more Covid-free days. When that happens, the Comelec will consider allowing satellite registration—subject to strict safety protocols—which will drive up the number of applicants as the process becomes more accessible.
Second—we will start seeing the effects of the quiet roll-out of https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph. Re-launched on December 11, iRehistro allows people to fill up their application forms online, cutting down on the time people need to spend at Comelec offices. Less time at the office means less opportunity for Covid transmission, after all.
And third—with some sort of vaccine being available by the latter half of 2021, a late period surge in registrants may well push us over the top and allow us to meet our projections. Although, to be honest, I wouldn’t hold my breath for this. Still, it remains a possibility.
Also in 2020, the President nominated two new Commissioners—Michael Peloton and Aimee Ferolino Ampoloquio—to replace retired Commissioners Luie Tito F. Guia and Al A. Parreno. Both nominees have distinguished themselves in their respective careers—Peloton as a lawyer with extensive experience in IT, and Ampoloquio as a career Comelec official who literally rose through to the ranks—and are expected to further distinguish themselves as Commissioners once confirmed by the Commission on Appointments.
In that, at least, the Comelec is also ending 2020 on a high note. Oh, and, may you have a Safe Christmas and a much better New Year.