Opposition Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan on Thursday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to study the possibility extending the registration of voters.
Deadline of Comelec’s voters registration is on September 30, months before the May 2022 presidential elections.
In today’s public hearing by the Senate electoral reforms committee chaired by Senator Imee R. Marcos, Pangilinan suggested an extension of one to two months.
Filing of certificate of candidacy for the 2022 national and local elections is on October 1 to 8.
Comelec Commisisoner Marlon Casquejo told Marcos that the suggested extension of voters registration is ‘’very, very tight’’ but promised that the Commission would look into it as it would be presented to an en banc Comelec meeting next week.
Pangilinan had filed Senate Resolution 639 directing the Senate electoral reforms committee to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the slow progress of voters registration and preparedness of the Comelec to conduct the 2022 national and local elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of February 3, 2021, the Comelec said it only received about 1.3 million applications or only 32.5 percent of its target of four million new voters before the September 30, 2021 deadline.
The Comelec deactivated around seven million voters due to non-participation in two consecutive elections or other reasons. Out of the seven million voters, only around 700,000 individuals have reactivated their records at Comelec.
Pangilinan said it is important for the registration to be extended because there are 15 million persons qualified to vote that should register in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pangilinan’s figure is based on a Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) data that there are 73 million Filipinos who would be 18 years old when the May 2022 elections begin. There are 58 million voters as registered with the Comelec.
Comelec figures show that there are seven million deactivated voters and the Commission expects that three million voters would apply for reactivation. So far, only 700,000 have so far registered for reactivation.
The Commission expects four million new voters in 2022.