Comelec: 63.36 million registered voters for 2022 polls
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 2:00 p.m.) — There are so far 63.36 million registered voters for the 2022 national polls, and this number is expected to rise with the extension of the sign-up period until the end of October, the Commission on Elections said on Wednesday.
In an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source, Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas said the poll body has so far processed 63,364,932 registered voters as of September 11.
“We have an additional 9,147,236 [voters],” Abas said in Filipino. Of these, more than 5,000,000 are first-time voters. There are also 3.2 million voters who sought transfers, and some 871,000 who reactivated their voter status.
While the number of additional voters is already high, Abas said, they expect more registrants in the coming days, as the Comelec heeds clamor of both chambers of Congress and several sectors to extend the sign-up period.
Abas said the Comelec en banc will formalize the declaration of extension on Wednesday.
Current registration period is until September 30. The poll body will then hold filing of certificates of candidacy from October 1-8, and will resume voter sign-ups on October 9 until October 30.
Abas said they conferred with regional directors in the main and field office and they rejected extending the registration period. But he said that they again “balanced the interest of all stakeholders and we listened to the wisdom of the Senate and Congress and the people on the ground, including those who are lining up [for registration].”
Comelec officials have previously repeatedly rejected extending the period for voter registration, warning that preparation for the 2022 polls may be affected, but lawmakers have not bought into this reasoning.
Both chambers passed a measure seeking to extend the period for sign-ups by a month.
Some Filipinos looking to register as voters have resorted to camping out at registration sites in the wee hours of the morning to secure one of the limited registration slots. — Kristine Joy Patag with reports from Xave Gregorio
Get the latest updates on the Philippines' preparation for the May 2022 national elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Main image by The STAR/Michael Varcas
Local executives are optimistic of peaceful elections on Monday in North Cotabato and Basilan provinces.
North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza says Saturday she is thankful to the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division and units of the Eastern Mindanao Command in the province for supporting extensively the efforts of the Commission on Elections to ensure the safety of polling activities on Monday.
“We are also thankful to the Cotabato Provincial Police Office and the Police Regional Office-12 for their initiatives towards that goal. We are looking forward to a peaceful electoral exercise in our province on Monday,” Mendoza says. — The STAR/John Unson
Comelec names Director John Rex Laudiangco as the new spokesperson of the commission, replacing James Jimenez.
May 9, election day, has been declared a special non-working holiday.
In a proclamation released Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the holiday "to enable the people to properly exercise their right to vote, subject to the public health measures of the national government." — report from Alexis Romero
READ: Proclamation No. 1357 declaring May 9, election day, a special non-working holiday @PhilippineStar @Philstarnews pic.twitter.com/EvUUNb8Yuf
— Alexis B. Romero (@alexisbromero) May 5, 2022
The Bangsamoro police has mobilized 6,347 personnel to guard 1,195 polling sites in five provinces under its jurisdiction.
Brig. Gen. Arthur Cabalona, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, says Thursday the contingent includes 706 Reaction Standby Support Force and 405 Quick Reactionary Force personnel for deployment to Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces.
Tension has markedly been high in some towns in both provinces owing to the deep-seated political animosity among local clans.
Besides Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also covers the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato. — John Unson
The Commission on Election starts the distribution and conduct of the testing and sealing of the vote counting machines (VCMs) six days prior to the election day in the remote and far flung villages in Zamboanga City.
The early distribution of the VCMs was made with the authority of the Comelec central office following the recommendation of the local poll body here, says District 2 officer Atty. Stephen Roy Cañete.
“We asked permission and we were given the authority by the Comelec central office to start the distribution of the VMCs early. In case there will be glitches we still have enough time to replace the defective VCM,” Cañete says. — The STAR/Roel Pareño
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