Article by:
Jigger Jerusalem
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Three Mindanao-based Ateneo schools on Wednesday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to open more satellite registration centers for voters who have yet to register as the October 30 deadline nears.
In a joint statement released Wednesday, the Mindanao Consortium of Ateneos (MCA) – composed of Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan – said they were willing to offer their campuses as voter registration sites for registrants who can no longer be accommodated by Comelec, which has reportedly limited its daily registration quota to only 150 to 300 persons.
Fr. Joel Tabora, Ateneo de Davao president, echoed the growing frustration of Filipino voters who are finding it difficult to get registered, saying, “the registration cap per day dispirits especially the first-time voters instead of encouraging them”.
“We received reports showing that some Comelec centers do not only close earlier than the extended registration hour of 7:00 PM but also disrespect the fast-tracking mechanisms by not making use of the online pre-registration forms,” Tabora added.
The MCA noted that out of the 73 million qualified Filipino voters, around 61 million have so far registered.
“Around 10 million, many of these are young people, are still unable to register for various reasons including the risk brought by the (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic,” the MCA said.
Fr. Karel San Juan, Ateneo de Zamboanga president, said the right to vote and the right to health are equally important.
“Ensuring that people are able to cast their votes and securing their safety from (Covid-19) are both goods to be preserved. Disenfranchisement needs to be avoided as we must avoid the deadly virus,” San Juan said.
Fr. Mars Tan, Xavier University president, meanwhile assured the public that minimum health standards will be observed if the Comelec decides to tap Ateneo schools as its voter registration sites.
“Schools would employ the same safety protocols as to when they opened their doors to help out in the vaccination rollout,” Tan said, adding, “exploring mobile registration activities to remote areas can also be an option to make registration accessible to voters in the margins.”
The presidents of the three Ateneo universities in Mindanao urged the Comelec to also partner with other universities and colleges to increase the number of satellite voter registration centers even more.
The three presidents also lauded the passage of Republic Act 11591 or the law that fixes the last day of registration of voters for the 2022 national and local elections and committed to campaign for a more vigorous registration activity in their respective spheres of operation.
The MCA has also amplified the call for the timely release of the 2022 election guidelines so that the nation can start preparing given the challenges of the pandemic.
“These appeals to the Comelec were expressed part of their effort to revive a 1969 consortium of the three Ateneos in Mindanao,” it added. (PNA)
Log in with Google