WITH Congress inching closer to postponing the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday, October 11, expressed readiness to resume voter registration activities nationwide.
James Jimenez, Comelec spokesman, said in a statement that they have no problem resuming voter registration as soon as the Senate and the House of Representatives pass the measure pushing back the forthcoming elections to December 2022.
"Once a bill postponing the polls is signed into law by the President, we will announce a new period of voter registration," Jimenez said.
Last week, the Senate approved on the third and final reading the bill postponing the barangay and youth elections to December 5, 2022.
Days later, the House of Representatives approved on the second reading the measure pushing village and SK polls also to December 5, 2022.
To recall, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the 18th Congress to pass the law postponing the elections during his 4th State of the Nation Address last July.
During the last voter registration period held from August 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019, there a total of 4,097,003 applications were filed.
Records show that applications from regular registrants, or those aged 18 years and above, have reached 3,082,396.
On the other hand, applications from SK registrants, or those 15 to 17 years old, numbered at 1,014,607. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)