The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is planning to conduct voters’ registration activities in some government offices and private entities.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said that he already asked Comelec Director Teopisto Elnas to see if this plan would be possible under the poll body’s “Register Anywhere” program.
“Ang sabi ko sa kanya, gusto ko mag sample din tayo ng ilang government agencies. Dalhin natin doon ang mga makina natin, magparehistro tayo (I told him, I want to conduct a sample in some government agencies as well. Let's bring our machines there and conduct registration activities),” said Garcia in a recent press briefing.
“Halimbawa, dalhin din natin sa ibang private entities...magparehistro para sa mga hindi pa nagpaparehistro (For example, let's bring it also to other private entities and allow people who are not yet registered to register),” he added.
Garcia believes this is one way to address long lines in voters' registration venues such as in Comelec offices and encourage more people to get registered.
By doing such an initiative, Garcia said the public may see this as a “welcome development.”
“Naniniwala naman ako na yung mga makabagong pamamaraan na ganito ay isang welcome development sa ating mga kababayan (I believe that modern methods like this are a welcome development for our citizens),” he said.
In the past, the Comelec also tapped shopping malls as satellite registration sites to attract more eligible Filipinos to get registered in order for them to participate in election activities.
Earlier this month, the poll body announced that it will start the pilot testing of the “Register Anywhere” system in the National Capital Region (NCR).
This program will provide registrants "the convenience of registering in a mall of their choice (during the pilot test, within the NCR) where an offsite or satellite registration is being held, even if said mall is located in a city or municipality other than their city or municipality of their residence," the Comelec said.
The poll body is eyeing to resume the voter registration activities by next month.