Speaker backs poll body’s ‘register anywhere’ drive

THE House of Representatives has joined the Register Anywhere Project of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to increase the number of registered voters in forthcoming electoral exercises.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the House participation was signed Tuesday at the Batasan complex by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia.

“Our involvement in this laudable project is our modest contribution to the efforts of the Comelec to register as many voters as possible,” Romualdez said.

“We encourage our House members, personnel, and their dependents and relatives, as well as those of attached agencies, and our people in general to take advantage of this offsite or satellite listing project so they could exercise their right of suffrage in future elections,” he said.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said the registration for House members and employees and personnel of agencies will be on January 25 and 26, while that for their dependents will be on January 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It will be conducted at the North Wing Lobby of the Batasan complex, he said.

He said those who will turn 15 years of age by October 30, 2023 may register.

Under the House-comelec MOU, aside from the registration venue and similar requirements, the House would provide Covid-19 antigen test for 30 Comelec employees.

For its part, the poll body would make available the needed personnel, registration machines, laptops and other equipment.

The Comelec would accept new registration, reactivation, transfer of registration, transfer from post to local in case of overseas voters, and updating of records of senior citizens and persons with disability.

The Comelec is conducting offsite registration at the same time as its regular listing in all its field offices throughout the country.

Registration started last December 12 and will go on until the end of this month.