Long queues on last day of voter registration

MANILA, Philippines — Last-minute registrants on Monday formed long lines outside local offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in different parts of the country as they rushed to beat the deadline and be able to exercise their right of suffrage in future elections.

Among them was college student Bianca Reyes, 21, a resident of Manila who claimed that Monday was her only free time to register.

“I wasn’t able to do it on weekends because of my part-time job,” she said.

Kevin Goli, 27, a resident of Makati, said he tried to beat the deadline so he could vote in the coming polls because he was tired of the corruption he witnessed in the country.

“This is my way of doing my part to change the administration,” he told the Inquirer.

The Comelec earlier said it expected an influx of last-minute registrants.

“The Comelec has anticipated this and we are confident that our employees in the field are prepared to handle the last-day registration scenario,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said.