(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA)
MANILA, Philippines —The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday announced the extension the voter registration hours and days and in Metro Manila several other areas.
Voter registration in the selected areas will now be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. during weekdays and until 5 p.m. on Saturdays (October 16 and 23).
The following areas are covered by the extended operating hours and days:
–Metro Manila
-municipalities of Alcala and San Quintin in Pangasinan
-Tarlac City and the municipalities of Capas and Concepcion in Tarlac
-Quezon province
-Labo, Camarines Norte
-Castilla, Sorsogon
-the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu in Cebu province
Meanwhile, the following areas will still retain the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. registration hours, including Saturdays:
-municipalities of Anda, Sto. Tomas and Sual in Pangasinan
-municipalities of Aringay, Balaoan, and Caba in La Union
-all cities and municipalities of Ilocos Sur
-municipalities of Balatan, Bula, Cabusao, Goa, Lagonoy, Libmanan, Magarao, Minalabac, Ragay, Sagñay, San Fernando, San Jose, Tigaon, and Tinambac in Camarines Sur
The rest of the country will still observe an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. voter registration hours on weekdays, including October 30, the last day of the registration which falls on a Saturday.
The extended registration hours will be conducted in the concerned Offices of the Election Officer and in mall registration sites.
“To reiterate, all types of application will be accepted, not just those that may come from first-time registrants, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement on Saturday.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez (PHOTO by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)
The voter registration was extended from October 11 to October 30 after the original September 30 deadline lapsed.
The voter registration period was extended until the end of October to accommodate registrants who were not able to leave their residence and register due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.