Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano has temporarily stopped requiring voter’s certification from residents for admission to a university and scholarship programs after they complained of long lines and difficulty in getting slots at the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office.

In a video announcement on July 2, Cayetano said the suspension of the voter’s certification requirement covers the admission to the Taguig City University and the city’s scholarship programs.

“Nakarating po sa aking kaalaman ang mahaba, mabagal at matagal na pilahan sa pagkuha ng Voter’s Certificate sa COMELEC-Taguig. At sa pagsisimula ng Voter’s Registration sa Lunes, July 4, 2022, ito ay mas hihirap pa kung hindi magagawan ng aksyon (It has come to my attention the long, slow and tedious queueing in getting the Voter’s Certificate from Comelec-Taguig. And with the start of the Voter’s Registration on Monday, July 4, 2022, this will be more difficult if not acted upon),” said Cayetano.

The Taguig City government requires voter’s certification from the parents and applications for admission to TCU, TCU’s City Education Assistance Allowance (TCU-CEAA) and scholarship programs.

Cayetano added, “Bilang inyong nagbabalik na Mayor, pansamantala kong ipinapatigil ang Voter’s Certification requirements sa admission sa Taguig City University at sa ating mga scholarship programs habang tayo’y nakikipag-usap sa COMELEC para humanap ng paraan na mas maginhawa at maayos para sa ating mga residente ang pagkuha ng requirement na ito. (As your comebacking mayor, I am temporarily stopping the Voter’s Certification requirements for admission to the Taguig City University and to our scholarship programs while we are talking to the Comelec to find a way that is convenient and orderly for our residents in getting this requirement).”

Since last month, residents have complained of difficulty in lining up and getting a slot at Comelec-Taguig to get the voter’s certification. Many would line up the night before just to get a slot.

“Inatasan ko na rin ang ating mga opisyales na magkaroon ng emergency meeting para matulungan ang COMELEC-Taguig sa sisimulang Voter’s Registration sa Lunes (I ordered our officials to have an emergency meeting to help Comelec-Taguig at the Voter’s Registration on Monday),” said the mayor.

She said, “Bagama’t importante ang Voters’ Certification upang matiyak na talagang mga taga-Taguig ang nakikinabang sa ating mga programa lalo na ang ating scholarship program, hindi dapat maging sobrang pabigat ang requirement na ito para sa ating mga estudyante at kanilang mga magulang at guardians (While the Voter’s Certification is important to ensure that only residents will benefit from our programs especially the scholarship program, this requirement should not be a big burden for our students and their parents and guardians).”

Cayetano said with the deferment of the voter’s certificate requirement, residents no longer need to line up at Comelec-Taguig starting July 4.

“Habang deferred ang requirement na ito, ay gagalaw pa rin ang inyong admission at application. Wala po kayong dapat ipangamba. (During the time that this requirement is deferred, your admission and application will be processed. You don’t need to worry),” she said.