City Council formally seeks listup extension

THE Cebu City Council yesterday passed a resolution authored by Councilors Alvin Dizon and Gerardo Carillo seeking to extend the voter’s registration by at least one more week.

Councilor Sisinio Andales said however that the resolution was already passed “too late in the day.” “There is no more time because the registration ends today,” he said.

The resolution’s authors said it was still important that the city is able to air its sentiments on the issue.

Slim chance

Comelec provincial election supervisor Marco Lionel Castillano said the possibility of extending the registration is slim considering that the poll body is pressed for time in preparing for the elections in October . He said an extension would upset the Comelec’s preparations as the poll body would be attending to the printing of ballots and other paraphernalia after the registration period.

“If we extend the registration like last year, the dates in our calendar of activities will again be changed. We are so pressed for time this year. We hope the public would understand,” Castillano said.

Officials and staffers of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu City yesterday turned away hundreds of people who wanted to register for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.

The Comelec in Cebu City stopped distributing registration forms after they reached their day’s limit of 1,200 for the south district and 800 for the north district.

Atty. Marchel Sarno, north district election officer, said that as much as they would have wanted to accommodate all those who wanted to register, they also had to abide by the Comelec’s resolution mandating that the registration will have to end yesterday.

On midnight of Wednesday, Comelec personnel stamped 450 people that could still be accommodated for registration at the south district and 200 for the north district. Those who got stamped where in addition to the people who have been lining up at the Comelec offices on Tuesday but were not accommodated after the 5 p.m. cut off.

Election officer Sarno said they are aware of the sentiments of the people whom they had to turn away, but they had to do the inevitable so as not to further inconvenience them.

“We have to do it instead of allowing them to fall in line but they will not be accommodated in the end,” Sarno said.

Edwin Cadungog, election officer of Cebu City’s south district, said they expected the last day of registration to be chaotic because of the high emotions of people who waited for their turn to register.

He said people should understand that they only have four data capturing machines in each of the two Comelec offices.

“Dili gyud ni ordinaryo itandi sa 2010 registration para sa barangay election,” Cadungog said.

The election officer attributed the deluge of registrants who wanted to transfer to Cebu City for the financial assistance the city government gives to senior citizens.

In Lapu-Lapu City, the Comelec yesterday limited the acceptance of registrants to those coming from barangays Pajac, Agus, and Caw-oy.

The Comelec in Lapu-Lapu City implemented a scheduled registration scheme during the 10-day special registration to avoid a jam similar to what was experienced in many places.

Despite the scheme, applicants still experienced delays as only one person was assigned to distribute registration forms while there are only two computers being used for data capture.

Election officer Ann Janet Chua Hu-Lamban said that it is not the lack of manpower that caused all the trouble, but rather the attitude of applicants who came in late and wanted to be entertained first.

“The chaos is only among those who were not able to pass their requirements and be interviewed beforehand for verification of their residency,” Lamban said./Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac with correspondents Peter I. Romanillos, Jhunnex Napallacan and Carinne M. Asutilla