City poll office to push with cut-off on last registration day

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Commission on Election (COMELEC) Iloilo City office said that it will continue implementing the cut-off system in the last week of voter registration, even as it expects an influx of last-minute registrants to show up.

As of September 25, COMELEC-Iloilo City has enlisted 14,534 voters for the 2022 elections, surpassing the city election office’s target of 12,000, according to Election Assistant II Jonathan Sayno.

Sayno told Daily Guardian that since voter’s registration resumed last Sept. 6, turnout had been “remarkable”, surpassing the 1,000 per day projection, which they also anticipate in the last four days.

“Our turnout [on Sept. 25] was 1,527, so it has kept on going up. Our view of the next four days is that those who would register will also not go down. Based on our experience, if turnout goes down nearing the deadline, it means many have been registered. But now, it has kept on going up,” Sayno said.

Similar satellite registration activities were conducted on Sept. 13 to 14.

He said that they also feel confident in handling the last four days of voter registration at Robinsons Place-Iloilo (main branch) despite the overnight lineup of people in its sister-branch, Robinsons Place-Jaro, over the weekend.

People lining up as early as 8 pm will be accommodated by mall personnel and will be held at a prepared holding area until registration activities start.

The parking area is also being considered as a holding area if more registrants come in early.

“We talked to the management [of Robinsons Place Iloilo], they will accommodate and maintain people coming in as early as 8:00 p.m., and make sure they can sit down and get rest until such time that registration officially opens. These are people who really want to be registered,” he said.

Sayno also said that they will not turn away anyone who falls in line but will still implement a cut-off when they reach or exceed their 1,000-regsitrant daily projection.

“We can only do up to 1,000. Actually, we exceed that number but we can only do so much, and we also don’t want to turn others away. That’s not possible, so we have to do a cut off so we can finish everyone’s registration, especially those who’ve waited a long time,” he said.

As to those who will not make the cut-off time by the Sept. 30 deadline, he apologetically said “they couldn’t exercise their right to vote.”

“There have been previous registrations where people who came after we declared a cut-off on the last day. They couldn’t get the chance to register and vote. We can only accommodate who we can accommodate,” he added.

EXTENDED REGISTRATION?

As to the pending bills in Congress seeking to extend the voter’s registration deadline, Sayno said that the local COMELEC “will abide by the law” once passed and approved.

The House of Representatives’ Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on Sept. 24 approved House Bill No. 10261 extending the current deadline from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.

The Senate also approved Senate Bill No. 2408 on its second reading on Sept. 22, with 23 out of 24 senators joining as authors of the measure.

“Whatever the law would say, since this would become a republic act providing extension of [voter’s] registration, we can’t do anything about that,” Sayno said.

He added that the COMELEC in Manila will ask for the registration to be reopened by law only after the filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC).

The COC filing period across all COMELEC offices will be conducted from Oct. 1 to 8.

“I am sure that the COMELEC will ask the [House] Committee on Suffrage to exclude [Oct. 1 to 8], given the pandemic restrictions,” Sayno said.