THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) Mandaue City said the voter’s registration period for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections has been shortened from the original July-August schedule to July 4-23.
Sarah Reuyan, Comelec Mandaue election officer, said Friday, June 24, that the move allows them to devote more time in preparing for the elections, which may be held on December 5, 2022 is not again postponed.
Davao Oriental Second District Representative Joel Mayo Almario in November 2021 filed House Bill 10425, seeking to postpone the barangay and SK elections until May 6, 2024.
Almario cited the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic as primary reason for rescheduling the polls.
Even with the bill, Reuyan said the Comelec would still continue with the preparations to make sure that everything is set should the voting pushes through.
She said the voter registration will be at the Comelec office from Monday to Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a cut-off time of 4:30 p.m., depending on the volume of people.
Applicants must bring one valid identification (ID) card, or a copy of their birth certificate.
Reuyan said the Comelec Mandaue had also looked into the possibility of holding the registration in malls.
Mandaue City had about 234,581 registered voters last May 9 local and national elections.
Reuyan said they are expecting more teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 18 because of the SK elections.
She said there would be no extension for the registration.
The last barangay election in the country happened on May 14, 2018, after it was postponed twice. The original date was October 2016, but it was postponed to October 2017, then moved to May 2018.
Later in 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11462, postponing the supposedly May 2020 barangay and SK elections to December 2022. (HIC)