Comelec orders NCR election officers to assign priority lanes for frontliners' voter registration

All Offices of the Election Officer (OEOs) in the National Capital Region have been directed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec)  to assign a priority lane for frontliners ' voter registration.

"All OEOs in the National Capital Region are directed to give priority to our frontliners when they visit our field offices," Comelec-NCR Director Jubil Surmieda said in a memorandum dated January 27.

"Hence, please assign a priority lane in your respective office for our health workers (doctors, nurses, medical technologists, etc.) and uniformed personnel (police, soldiers, public order and safety officer), who will register or avail of our services," he added.

In a Tweet, Poll Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said medical frontliners simply need to inform the Comelec staff so they can be given priority. The same applies to persons with disability (PWD), elderly, and pregnant women.

The poll official said that aside from the NCR, their Regional Director in Region 5 has also issued instruction to election officers to give priority to medical frontliners.

"The Director in Region 6 will do the same," said Guanzon.

Voter registration for the May, 2022, national and local polls resumed last September 1 except in areas under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or Modified ECQ. 

Qualified to register are those who will be at least 18 years of age on or before Election Day, or on May 9, 2022, a resident in the Philippines for at least 1 year, and resides in the place where he or she intends to vote for at least 6 months on or before Election Day.

Local OEOs are open from Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., to accept applicants for voter registration.

The voter registration period will run until September 30, 2021.