First-time registrants priority in extended registration

First-time registrants will be prioritized by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) when it opens voters' registration anew on Monday, the poll body's spokesperson said. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said first-time registrants will be given priority over the others, such as those who want to reactivate their registrations, during the extended registration period ordered by the Supreme Court. [See: Supreme Court extends voter registration period] "We'll see if we can fit them in (non first time registrants) pero talagang ngayon ang aasikasuhin natin ay yung first time registrants (but right now we are prioritizing first time registrants)," Jimenez said in an interview over GMA News' Unang Hirit.
Comelec Resolution No. 8719, issued following the Supreme Court's order that the registration period be extended, opens Comelec centers for registration on December 21, 22, 23, 28, and 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first week of January will be set for the hearings of the Election Registration Board (ERB) which will screen the registrants and come up with the final list of registered voters for the 2010 elections. Kabataan partylist, which had asked the Supreme Court to extend the registration period, urged first-time voters to take the opportunity to register. "This is the best time to register for the upcoming elections as most students have already gone back to their home provinces and more work leave are given to employees," said Kabataan vice president Carl Marc Ramota in a statement. But Ramota slammed the Comelec for allotting only five days for registration, pointing out that the registration should have begun last week as the Supreme Court's order was immediately executory. Jimenez said they expect around 1 million first-time registrants to flock to Comelec centers to register during the holidays. There are about 49 million registered voters in the country so far, he said. The Comelec had initially set the deadline of registration to October 31. Despite the extension of the registration period, Jimenez said the poll body will still be able to function within its timetable for the automation of the 2010 polls. - Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV