Comelec: Voters’ registration suspended next week

HUNDREDS of voters started flocking to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office as the last day of registration nears.
Cebu City election officer Marchel Sarno said less than three weeks are left before the end of voters’ registration for the 2016 elections.
Registration will be suspended for five days next week from Oct. 12 to 16, for staff to focus on the filing of Certificates of Candidacy.
Registration will resume on Oct. 19 and end on Oct. 31. Sarno said they plan to hold off-site registration on Oct. 26 – 30, but they were still finalizing arrangements with SM City Cebu.
“Malls will always be convenient for those who want to register but the only problem is the venue to conduct the off-site registration,” Sarno said.
An option is to hold the off-site registration at the Abellana National School to accommodate more people.
Sarno said hundreds of voters normally go to the Comelec offices in the last few days of registration.
“Some 300 to 400 residents lined up at the office to register (yesterday), this is double the 200 or less residents who went to our office over the past few weeks and months,” he said.
During the off-site registration activities last month, Sarno said 500 to 700 people showed up at the different malls. A separate line for the senior citizens and persons with disability was made.
So far, around 279,000 registered voters in the north district have been recorded while more than 300,00 registered voters were recorded in the south.
He asked voters to bring snacks when they register in the last two weeks of this month.
“During the last day of registration, I hope the public will not only bring snacks with them but also their patience,” Sarno said./CTU Intern Marc Eric Cosep