A Comelec satellite registration site inside a mall in Cebu City.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu City expects a rush of voter applicants in the last two days of the extended registration period.
The extended registration period is set to end on Saturday, October 30, 2021, and Comelec Cebu City is setting up its satellite registration site at the Ayala Center Cebu.
North District election officer, Lawyer Chauncey Boholst, said that they have seen a rise in voter registrants this week as expected for the last week of the registration.
While on a daily average, the Comelec district offices note an average of 200 to 300 applicants, this number has ballooned to 600.
They expect that at least a thousand individuals will flock to the satellite registration sites on the last two days.
“Ato naobserbaran nga nisaka atong mga applikante. Every day sa last week, nagsaka ta more than 100. Karon gani we expect nga mo 800 ta today,” said Boholst.
Boholst said that to the last-minute applicants, they should expect long lines and some time before their registrations will be processed.
They are reminded to bring their own ballpen, wear face masks, and maintain the other health protocols when lining up for the registration.
The Comelec satellite offices will be open up to 7 p.m. on October 29, 2021, and up to 5 p.m. on October 30, 2021.
Boholst said the extension of the voter registration has allowed a chance for those who failed to register from September 2020 to September 2021, to do so.
So it is expected that Cebu City’s voting population would have significantly increased this election season despite the pandemic.
The Comelec hopes people will find time on the last two days to register as elections only come every three years.
“Do not miss out on the opportunity to vote,” said Boholst. /rcg
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