THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) of Mandaue City will hold a three-day special registration for women starting on Feb. 8, 2021.
They can register, transfer, reactivate their voter’s registration, or enter a name correction during this period.
Mandaue City Election Officer Anna Fleur Gujilde said they initiated the special registration after realizing some women were afraid to line up at the Comelec office amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Gujilde said they also considered the situation of mothers who have infants at home and who are afraid to go out to avoid the risk of contracting the disease.
With the special registration, women will only be spending minutes in poll office, she said.
She said they will not turn away men who will show up at the Comelec office at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex during this period, but they will not be prioritized.
Medical frontliners, law enforcement agents and those working in essential businesses can also line up at the priority lane along with pregnant women, persons with disability and senior citizens, she said. However, they must present an identification card.
Gujilde said that this is Comelec’s way to give back to the “modern-day heroes” who are risking their lives every day to deliver basic, security and medical services.
Gujilde said registrants can download voter registration forms from their official Facebook accounts: Comelec Oeo Mandaue and Comelec Mandaue City, Cebu Online Transaction Page.
Registrants may fill out three forms front-to-back, print them and submit them to their office to receive the biometrics, she said.
Gujilde told Sunstar Cebu that another reason for holding a special registration is they want to attract more people to register.
Before the pandemic, she said their office accommodated at least 200 applicants daily. These days, they barely see 100 applicants, she added.
The deadline of the voter’s registration is on Sept. 30 yet.
Gujilde said it is better to register early, while there are few applicants.
Meanwhile, she reminded applicants to wear masks and face shields and follow minimum health requirements for safer transactions. (KFD)