THERE won’t be any more extensions on today’s 3 p.m deadline for the registration of voters, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reiterated yesterday.
“We could no longer entertain extensions. If some people couldn’t be accommodated, our apologies. Maybe they can register the next time around,” said Comelec provincial officer Ferdinand Guijilde.
In Cebu City, Comelec north district officer Marchel Sarno said they cut off the issuance of priority numbers at 8:30 a.m yesterday, resulting in more than 500 pending applicants.
Sarno said the early cut off time was done because people already lined up at their office as early as 5 a.m. The Cebu City Comelec office can only process 500 registrants a day, he said.
Last Monday, Sarno said they finished the registration at 7:30 p.m.
Sarno said those who managed to secure a priority number before the 3 p.m cutoff will have their applications processed on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Aside from that, Guijilde said there would definitely be no more extensions based on Comelec Resolution 9542.
He said the excuses given by late registrants won’t wash anymore.
“This is the result of a Filipino attitude to wait for deadlines. There are those who say they started lining up as early as 6 p.m. But the Comelec started waiting for registrants since May 2011,” he said.
“We’re open even on holidays and Saturdays to accommodate those who want to register. Now that Comelec offices gets crowded, they would accuse us of not having a system,” Guijilde added.
For today’s 3 p.m deadline, Guijilde said the Comelec will list down the names of those waiting on the line within the 30-meter radius from the office of the election officer at 3 p.m. Their names will be consecutively numbered.
Guijilde said the names of the applicants will be called three times.
Those who were not around when his or her name is called won’t be allowed to file his application for registration/transfer/reactivation or validation.
Those whose names were listed will be the last batch of registrants, he said. “When you arrive at 4 or 5 p.m., you won’t be accommodated,’ Guijilde said.
Regional Comelec-7 Director Temie Lambino said today’s registration procedure is different.
“We cannot cut off the line early, we will cut off after 3 p.m and then we’ll list down names,” he said.
Cebu provincial election supervisor Marco Lionel Castillano said the voter’s registration will be reviewed by the Election Registration Board (ERB) on Nov. 19.
“Having applied to be a qualified voter does not mean one can eventually become a voter in the elections,” he said.
Castillano said there are instances that the applicant will be challenged by other parties like the case of boxing promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud.
The ERB earlier disapproved Salud’s application to become a registered voter of Cordova town since he failed to prove that he was an actual resident there for six months.
To become a registered voter, Castillano one should be a resident of the place where he or she wants to vote six months prior to the elections.
An applicant should be a Filipino citizen and should be 18 years old on the day of the election, Castillano said.
He said the board will finalize a Project of Precincts that will be used as basis for the Comelec to determine the number of voters.