Comelec, PPCRV urge voters to grab 2nd chance for registration

Filipinos should not waste the second chance and must not wait until the "last minute" to register for the 2010 elections now that the Supreme Court has extended the voters’ listup. On this note, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) made the appeal to voters even as they started considering options to deal with “serious time limitations" brought about by the extension. “Marami pang dapat magrehistro. Sana huwag aksayahin ng tao ang oras. Noong una, naalala ko yan nag-umpisa Dec. 2, 2008, mga Enero hanggang Marso nilangaw ang Comelec office dahil di masyadong maraming nagpaparehistro (Many still need to register. We hope Filipinos will no longer waste this chance by waiting until the last minute. I remember when registration started in December 2008, the Comelec offices were virtually empty at first but filled up in the proverbial last two minutes)," PPCRV Chairwoman Henrietta de Villa said in an interview on dzXL radio. “Alam nating Pasko ngayon, pero kailangan magrehistro, magrehistro na kayo. Huwag hintayin ang last two days (We know it is Christmas but those who need to register must register early, and not wait until the last two days)," she added. On the other hand, the Comelec is considering options to minimize the effect of the extended registration on their timetable. Chairman Jose Melo indicated in another radio interview that the poll body may start the extended registration this coming Monday, December 21. But Melo also reiterated that those who register during the extended period should not expect to be automatically qualified to vote in the May 2010 polls. “Binilang namin, last day is Jan. 9, ang working days Dec. 21-23. Tapos niyan, sa 28 at 29, limang araw lahat for December. Tapos, holidays na yan. Ang first working day natin next year is Jan. 4 (Our working days are from Dec. 21 to 23, then 28 to 29. Then the next working day is Jan. 4)," he said in a separate interview on dzXL. He also said those who register at this time will not be automatically qualified to vote as there is still the process where objections to a registrant’s qualifications are heard. Separate voters list? Melo said the Comelec is studying options to minimize delays caused by the extended registration period, including placing the late registrants in separate voters’ lists. He said that with the processing of registrants to take up to four weeks, it may take the Comelec until early or mid-February to print the ballots. “If we wait for the new registrants, printing of ballots will be delayed and the timetable will be disrupted. At worst, the lists will not be printed on time and even early registrants might not be able to vote," he said. The original schedule for the start of printing of ballots is January 25, 2010. “In extreme cases, we will print the late registrants’ names in a separate voters’ list," Melo said. Melo also said they are considering working overtime, including keeping the Comelec offices open even during holidays, but said it is unlikely Filipinos will register on those days. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court extended the voter registration for the 2010 elections to January 9 after it nullified a Comelec resolution that limited registration to October 31, 2009. - LBG, GMANews.TV