CITING RISK OF BUDGET CUTS

Guanzon says Comelec to consider Senate reso on voter registration extension

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will deliberate on the Senate resolution urging the extension of voter registration as the fate of the poll body’s 2022 budget rests in Congress’ hands, poll commissioner Rowena Guanzon said Tuesday.

“Ngayon may Senate resolution na e. Hindi na mai-ignore ng Comelec ‘yan dahil ang budget namin nand’yan. Ibang usapan naman ang Senate resolution. Mabigat naman ‘yan,” Guanzon said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(Currently, there is a Senate resolution. The Comelec cannot ignore that because our budget is up for their deliberation. The Senate resolution will definitely have a bearing.)

“So, I’m sure si [Chairman Sheriff] Abas, i-schedule niya ‘yan bukas sigurado ako d’yan (So, I’m sure that Chairman Abas will schedule that tomorrow. I’m sure of that),” she added.

She reiterated that the commission en banc decided against the proposals to extend the voter registration due to lack of time for the preparation of paraphernalia for the 2022 national and local elections.

Based on Comelec’s timeline, Guanzon said the list of voters should be finalized by December while the printing of ballots should be finished by January.

Currently, around one million first-time voters are yet to register, Guanzon said.

“Right now, mayroon tayong 62 million plus na naka-rehistro na. ‘Yung kabataan na target, may kulang pa tayong one million,” she said.

(Right now, we have around 62 million plus registered voters. For the first-time voters’ target, there is still one million young voters who are yet to register.)

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Guanzon said the estimated number of Filipinos who will turn 18 years old on or before the May 9, 2022 elections is at around four million.

She encouraged anew the public anew to reactivate their voter registration.

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon proposed to cut the budget of Comelec should it refuse to heed the call of the chamber to extend the voter registration period.

He likewise proposed to pass a one-sentence bill which seeks to extend the deadline for voter registration from September 30,2021 to October 31,2021.

Last week, Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo said he will raise Congress’ demand to extend the voter registration period with the en banc.

His commitment came a day after the Senate adopted a resolution urging the Comelec to extend the voter registration period by one month to prevent “voter disenfranchisement” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last September 2, the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms also adopted two resolutions urging the poll body to extend the deadline.

Despite calls from the lawmakers, the Comelec has rejected the proposal to move the deadline to October 31, 2021 but it has extended the voter registration hours.—AOL, GMA News