Voter registration for SK to be extended but not for barangay polls

The Commission on Elections announced Friday that it would extend the registration period for Sanggunian Kabataan voters but not for voters in barangay (village) elections. "The SK registration definitely will be extended but the regular registration won't be," Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos told reporters in Filipino. The registration period for both SK and barangay elections started July 15 and will end on July 22. The Comelec has yet to decide when to set the next round of registration because it is still waiting for funding. The registration for barangay elections would form part of the official list of registered voters, while the list for SK is considered temporary "We could only go around the law by accommodating the number of SK, especially those who have gone 15 to 17 (years old) starting October 29 by establishing so-called satellite offices in different barangays for which we need a so-called budget," Abalos said. The poll chairman added that the registration for SK voters does not need biometrics, unlike those who will register for barangay elections. On Friday, Akbayan party-list Representative Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros-Baraquel sent a letter to the Comelec en banc seeking an extension to the SK registration. "A week is not enough to register our young voters. We in Akbayan fear that massive disenfranchisement of young voters would take place unless the registration is extended, possibly for two more weeks. We urge the Comelec to address this problem with haste," Hontiveros-Baraquel said. -GMANews.TV