Lines return as voter registration resumes

Applicants wait for their turn to get registered as a voter at a mall in Barangay Carreta, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City. This as Comelec – Cebu City resumes voters registration on Monday, October 11. | Contributed Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Queues of individuals wanting to register for next year’s elections return on Monday, October 11 as the first day of extended voters registration resumes.

Following the extension of the deadline in voter registration, several malls in Cebu City have also continued accepting applicants on Monday.

“Starting October 11, 2021, the offices of Comelec (Commission on Elections) – Cebu City 1st (North) and 2nd (South) Districts will resume their Mall Voters Registration and will culminate on October 30, 2021,” said Omar Sharif Dilangalen Mamalinta, assistant election officer of Comelec – Cebu City.

These are Robinsons Galleria Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu (for North & South District voters), Ayala Mall Central Bloc (for North District voters), and SM Seaside City Cebu (for South District voters).

Registration for the May 9, 2022 polls was supposed to end last September 30 but the Comelec, en banc, decided to move it to October 30, following public clamor.

Despite the extension, Comelec-Cebu City said they were still expecting voters to flock to registration sites especially when the deadline would loom.

“Base sa among experience, kasagaran adto na silas deadline magtapok para magparehistro pero hopefully, we are praying and encouraging to those wa pa ka rehistro nga muari dinhe as soon as possible para sila maaccommodate,” said Mamalinta.

(Based on our experience, most of the time, they would flock to register during the deadline, but hopefully, we are praying and encouraging those, who had not yet registered to visit us as soon as possible so that they can be accommodated.)

“If sa pinakalast na nga day sila magparehistro, maglisud unya sila unya di na nuun sila maaccommodate,” he added.

(If they will register on the last day, they might find it difficult and they might not be accommodated.)

Voter registration was paused from October 1 to October 8 to give way to the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for aspiring elected local officials.

In Cebu City, Mamalinta said they had already submitted all COCs to their head office in Manila.

“Sila na mismo ang muverify kung kinsay pwede mudagan pagkandidato para sa elections sunod tuig… Ang mga requirements, sila na bahala muverify,” he explained.

(They will be the ones to verify who will be allowed to run as a candidate for the elections next year … for the requirements, they will be the ones to verify.)

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