BAGUIO CITY – In the last two weeks, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Baguio City has recorded a turnout of roughly 1,500 newly registered voters.
The high number of registrants indicates the effectiveness of the off-site registrations being done by the polling body in the 128 barangays of the city.
Comelec Baguio Election Officer Atty. John Paul Martin hopes that through the satellite registrations being held in schools and barangays, qualified voters would be encouraged to register in time for the midterm elections.
“We only have a limited time for the midterm elections but for the last two weeks of voters registration, the 1,500 registrants can be considered as a positive result and we hope we can sustain this number until September”, said Martin.
To make way for the filing of candidacies for the May 2019 elections, Martin noted the registration, which began on July 2, will only be available until September 29.
According to Martin, the registration will last for only three months because of the limited time frame between the last elections this May and the May 13, 2019 elections.
The schedule of registration would be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from Mondays to Saturdays including holidays.
The registration centers will handle all types of applications, including registration, transfer or reactivation of records, and correction of entries. Also, new registrants should bring valid IDs.
The polling body is also looking at the possibility of the postponement of the May 2019 elections if Congress succeeds in passing a law to form a transitory government towards federalism.
There is also the possibility of a simultaneous plebiscite implementation and regular elections to expedite charter change. However, Martin said he would rather have a separate implementation of the plebiscite and regular election.
By JEROMY VERAYO
