The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend the voter registration deadline for the 2022 elections.
NUSP forwarded a position paper asking the Comelec to reconsider its stance during the hearing of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on Friday, Aug. 27.
The group prodded the commission and the lawmakers to extend the voters' registration period for at least a month to accommodate the remaining eligible voters who are threatened to be disenfranchised in the 2022 polls.
"Voter's registration should be extended at least until the end of October," NUSP President Jandeil Roperos said during the hearing, citing a news report stating that almost eight months of voter registration were lost in some areas due to lockdowns.
According to Roperos, the projected eligible voters for 2022 is 73.3 million, therefore around 12.1 million eligible voters are threatened to be disenfranchised.
"This is still a sizable number of Filipinos that the Comelec needs to consider properly," she added.
The Comelec had thumbed down extending the voter registration period beyond the Sept. 30 deadline, citing "technical aspects of the preparation, software preparation, and modification of counting machines.
READ MORE: La Salle, Ateneo students denounce Comelec's decision to reject voter registration extension
However, during the hearing, a Comelec official said the agency will "study" the extension of the voter registration deadline.
Several youth groups had been urging the Comelec to consider extending the voter registration for the 2022 Philippine elections beyond Sept. 30.
READ MORE: 'Extend voters' registration': Youth group tells Comelec, Youth asks Comelec: Extend voters' registration by at least 1 month