Over 8K voters registered in Cebu City before suspension

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Commission on Elections in Cebu City (Comelec – Cebu City) recorded over 8,000 voters before registrations were suspended due to the threats of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Data from the Comelec – Cebu City showed a total of 8,614 individuals from the city’s North and South districts registered as of March 7, 2020, or two days before the Comelec’s head office decided to postpone it amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Read: Comelec suspends voter registration until March 31

Further breakdown showed there were 4,160 voters who registered from the city’s North District (First District) and 4,454 from the South District (Second District).

Voter’s registration for the national and local polls this 2022 resumed on January 20, 2020.

But in an advisory issued on March 9, Comelec Director James Jimenez announced to postpone it following the recent COVID -19 developments in the country.

The suspension of voter registration, which takes effect March 10 until March 31, is nationwide, including Comelec’s satellite offices.

In earlier reports, Comelec projected over 4 million new voters who will be participating in the 2022 Presidential elections.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 has infected at least 24 individuals in the country as of March 9, 2020.

The Department of Health (DOH) has issued Code Red Alert Sublevel 1 to signal all local governments and related government agencies to prepare for the possibility of sustained community transmission of the disease.

At this point, DOH said community lockdowns are not yet recommended. /bmjo