Guanzon asks mayors to prioritize vaccination of election officers

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon urged mayors to prioritize election officers in getting COVID-19 vaccine so they can conduct registration of new voters in barangays.

Guazon said on The Mangahas Interviews that the poll body is intensifying efforts to get new voters to register for the May 2022 elections.

"3.5 million pa lang po ngayon ang nakarehistro. Ang target po natin ngayon ay 4 million sa bagong 18-year-olds," she said.

"Kulang na kulang po 'yan kasi dapat sana kahit man lang seven million o six million ang magrehistro sana," Guanzon also said.

(We are still behind our target. We expect at least seven or six million new voter registrants.)

The Comelec official said the turnout of registration has been affected by the continued spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

"Sana 'yong mga mayors unahin naman kami tutal A4 naman classification namin eh, 'yong mga election officers namin, para makapag-barangay registration na po kami," Guanzon said.

(I hope mayors will also prioritize us in the vaccination rollout so we can start barangay registration already. Election officers belong to the A4 category.)

Aside from the barangay registration, Guanzon said they are also preparing to set up registration sites in malls to be more accessible to the people.

The Comelec is also eyeing to buy more vote-counting machines to lessen congestion in precincts during the elections next year, she said.

Registration is set until September 30 this year for the next general election on May 9, 2022.—Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News