Article by:
Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to discuss the call of senators to extend the deadline of the nationwide voter registration.
Commissioner Rowena Guanzon, however, said the poll body is inclined to maintaining the Sept. 30, 2021 deadline.
“Last week we talked about that - the majority don't want an extension anymore. But I heard yesterday that the Senate has a resolution…Previously, the Speaker of the House asked GMA (former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) for an extension of the candidacy filing. It’s a Senate Resolution but we haven't discussed it again. Apparently, as of now, there is no extension. But the Senate Resolution requesting for an extension up to October 30 has not been discussed yet,” she said in a virtual briefing late Thursday afternoon.
On Tuesday, senators adopted a resolution urging the Comelec to extend the deadline for voter registration until the end of October.
Meanwhile, Guanzon advised poll watchdog, National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), to submit a request to the Comelec regarding its suggestion to give all candidates their assigned numbers instead of the usual chronological order on the ballot.
“My suggestion to Namfrel is to write to the Commission en banc, to the Chair, and to all the commissioners, we have our emails, for the suggestion to be included in the agenda,” she said.
“Their suggestion is good. In the Party-list, we actually raffle it by computer, it's an electronic raffle so the Party-list you see has numbers, not your alphabetical. So it doesn't matter if they start with "A" “Ang Ganito” “Ang Ganyan” because we were raffling it. Namfrel's suggestion is good,” she added.
Guanzon also expressed support for the suggestion.
“If I will vote in the Commission en banc, I am in favor of that but of course they must write formally and put the agenda in the Office of the Chairman or our Commission secretary, The chair and all commissioners have email addresses. I want that because your letters "A" have no advantage. Like me, the distance of my last name, letter G,” she said. (PNA)
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