The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not extending the voter registration period beyond the September 30 deadline.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez on Wednesday, August 18, announced that the En Banc decided against the extension, citing concerns about the timeline of preparations for the 2022 National and Local Elections, as well as significant continuing apprehensions about the health and safety of the public and of their personnel.

"The Commission is concerned that if we delay the end of voter registration, it will also cause corresponding delays in all other preparatory activities, especially those which depend on the finalization of the list of voters. That will have the potentially adverse effect on the timelines in the preparations for the presidential elections," he said in an online press briefing.

Several senators earlier signed a resolution calling for the extension of the voter registration period.

Jimenez also said that the En Banc unanimously approved the extension of voter registration hours, as well as the opening of voter registration on Saturdays and holidays, for the remainder of the voter registration period.

"There will be an extension of voting hours, beyond 5 p.m. We will extend the voter registration hours. We will also open voter registration on Saturdays and holidays. This will be for the remainder of the registration period," he said.

The extended operating hours of Offices of Election Officers (OEOs), however, only covers areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ.

"Under our general guidelines, our policies on this is there is no voter registration in areas not under GCQ or MGCQ," Jimenez said.

Due to the lockdowns and the deadline already nearing, the poll body expects to register less than a million more in the remaining days of the registration.

There are already over 60 million registered voters for the May 2022 polls.