PNP ready for rush of voter registration

—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police, has put all police officers in the country on alert with the expected heavy turnout of people on the last two days of voter registration.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) set the deadline for voter registration until Oct. 30.

“Two days remain before the voter registration ends and we at the PNP hope this will not become a last-day rush, just like what happened last month,” Eleazar said on Friday.

“We are given an extension of one month, so I am hoping that those who would fail to get themselves registered would not be hot-headed and resort to violence,” he added.

Under pressure from the public and Congress, the Comelec extended to Oct. 30 the voter registration, which was supposed to end on Sept. 30.

A few weeks leading to the end of September, hundreds of thousands lined up at their local Comelec offices and satellite hubs to get themselves registered and be able to vote in the May 2022 national and local elections.

Eleazar requested people proceeding to voter registration centers to follow health protocols and other rules for their own safety.

He also ordered all police commanders to boost police visibility around registration sites and other public areas to deter individuals who would take advantage of the last-minute rush to commit crimes.