Comelec wants personnel in early line for vaccines

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Northern Mindanao has asked local governments to include the agency’s personnel in their priority list for vaccination.

Renato Magbutay told a local radio station that when Comelec personnel are fully vaccinated, they would be more confident registering voters.

At the national level, the Comelec targets to register four million additional voters for the 2022 general elections representing youth who would turn 18 years old.

Voter registration for next year’s election is only until September 30.

On top of accepting voter applications during regular hours from Mondays to Fridays, Magbutay said Comelec also does satellite registration in the villages on Saturdays.

Comelec field office in every city and town is staffed with an election officer and an election assistant.

According to Magbutay, only their personnel who are seniors have availed themselves of the vaccines. Under the Department of Health’s vaccination schedule, Comelec personnel belong to Priority A4, said Magbutay.

Northern Mindanao has five provinces with seven component cities and 84 municipalities and two highly urbanized cities.

Magbutay said that so far, the provincial governments of Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon, and Camiguin have granted his request. In Bukidnon, Comelec personnel will be accommodated in the towns and cities where they are stationed.

Magbutay said that during their last management committee meeting, the Comelec leadership had advised regional directors to find the most appropriate ways to have their personnel vaccinated at the soonest possible time as the agency’s vaccines could arrive towards the end of the year or early next year.

So far, only one Comelec personnel in Northern Mindanao had contracted the virus, he said.

abc