Mayors seek deferment of census, voter registration

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Council is asking for the deferment of the voter registration and conduct of the 2020 census due to fears of COVID-19 transmission, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Jojo Garcia said yesterday.

The conduct of the 2020 Census of Population and Housing as well as the voter registration by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) started yesterday, Garcia said.

The council, composed of mayors of Metro Manila, want the activities moved to January or when the metropolis eases to modified general community quarantine as announced by presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

At a press briefing yesterday, Roque said the deferment of the voter registration is subject to the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Disease.

Garcia cited health protocols and safety reasons why the council wanted to defer the two activities.

Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco said these activities should be rescheduled because of the risks of virus transmission.

Tiangco said the face mask needed to be removed when taking a voter’s photo during the registration.

Census data collectors, he said, need to talk face-to-face with members of the households.

Malabon Mayor Antolin Oreta III reiterated Tiangco’s stance on the matter, saying there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the two activities.

“I agree that we need to stabilize the situation first before we engage in more crowd-converge activities,” Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said.

Although the mayors said there was no agreed date yet on rescheduling of the census and voter registration, Garcia said the council recommends the date announced by Roque.

Meanwhile, the Comelec appeared cool to the recommendation to suspend again the ongoing voter registration.

“As far as the Comelec is concerned, we are a little keen in continuing the registration. If we start in January 2010, that is only until 2021. Imagine, that is just nine months, many would not be able to register,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said yesterday.

“And the effect of that will be people crowding during the deadline. It is far safer for us to spread the registration over a longer period than crash it to a short term period,” Jimenez .

Under existing rules, Jimenez said the Comelec does not allow voter registration in areas under enhanced community quarantine and modified enhanced community quarantine.

The Comelec resumed yesterday voter registration in Metro Manila and it is “too late” to suspend it again, Jimenez said.

“We have been talking about resuming registration for roughly four weeks now and I think the timing is unfortunate. In any case, the Comelec will respect the decision and opinion of the IATF,” Jimenez said.

He said the Comelec involved the IATF in the decision to resume registration.

“We will see what happens when they see the request of the mayors,” Jimenez said.

The resumption of voter registration proceeded smoothly, with the registrants observing physical distancing, he said.

Jeminez said the number of registrants is still low, but the Comelec expects it to surge in the coming days. – Alexis Romero, Mayen Jaymalin