MANILA, Philippines?Weary and impatient eligible voters complaining of waiting for hours in long queues to register have no one to blame but themselves, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

?The problem with some of us is that we wait until the last minute,? Comelec Chair Jose Melo told reporters Tuesday.

The voter registration, which began on Dec. 2 last year, ends on Oct. 31 and will not be extended, the Comelec has said.

In the past two weeks, registration centers have been jammed.

?We have no one to blame but ourselves,? Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said. ?Why do we have to wait for the last minute before we register??

Constant reminders

Since the registration started, the poll body has been telling the public to register early to be able to participate in the 2010 national and local elections.

Aside from instructing local Comelec offices to encourage residents to register, the poll body also has used television and print advertisements to raise awareness on the registration process.

Nongovernment organizations and election watchdogs also have helped in the Comelec campaign.

Machine glitches

By setting the deadline six months before the May 10 elections, the Comelec said it would have ample time to prepare the precinct records and the ballots to be used in the first national automated election.

Aside from the long lines and the waiting, there were also complaints that there were not enough registration documents and that the data capturing machines (DCM) often broke down, officials said.

The DCM, which records the voters? fingerprints, photograph and pertinent information, can only process 300 applications a day.

To remedy these problems, the Comelec has allowed local Comelec offices to photocopy application forms and to give numbers to voters in line to facilitate the queues.

Ferrer said the public should go easy on the Comelec, noting that the poll officials have been working overtime in a bid to register as many people as they can.

Extended working hours

?What about the people who manage [offices]? They have little time to eat, they could not sleep properly,? he said.

Since early October, the Comelec has extended working hours from the previous 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by four hours to 9 p.m.

The Comelec has also agreed to open the registration every Saturday and holiday to allow those who have to attend school or work during the weekdays to register.

On Oct. 31, the Comelec offices will be open until midnight.

According to Comelec field offices, more first-time voters applied for registration this time than in the past exercises.

Ferrer attributed this to the campaign of advocacy groups to enlist youth voters and the keen interest on the upcoming elections. Advocacy groups report that youth voters have reached 1 million.

The Comelec expects to have 48 million registered voters in the May polls.