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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has extended voter registration from October 11 to 30 for voters in the Philippines and October 1 to 14 for Filipinos based overseas.

Originally, the Comelec set the registration deadline on September 30 but decided to put in additional dates after lawmakers passed a bill seeking an extension.

Registration will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays, and on the last day (Saturday) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at all Comelec offices and satellite registration sites in malls.

There are currently 63 million registered voters as of today - with 5 million first-time voters - exceeding Comelec's projected 59 million voters.

The chosen dates for the extension come after the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) taking place from October 1 to 8.

National position aspirants such as president, vice president, senator, and party-list representative will file their COCs at the Sofitel tent in Pasay City.

Those running for local positions will file their COCs at local Comelec offices in their respective city or municipality where they aim to be elected.

“Note that for overseas voting, the filing of COCs is not an issue, thus the extension starts immediately,” commented Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez.

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