Voters’ registration on despite ASEAN holiday

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday announced that its offices will remain open for the voters’ registration period in Metro Manila, Bulacan, and Pampanga despite the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit holiday from Nov. 13 to 15, 2017.

“(This) week-long ‘holiday’, #TuloyAngTrabaho sa @COMELEC. #VoterReg2017,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in his official Twitter account.

Jimenez urged qualified but unregistered voters to make use of the holiday break to proceed to the nearest Comelec office to register.

Last week, Comelec resumed its voter’s registration nationwide, except in the province of Lanao Del Sur, in preparation for the barangay and SK elections on May 14, 2018.

The poll body said its offices will be open from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the voter’s registration period.

It said it will also conduct offsite/satellite registration to further reach out to unregistered voters.

Comelec earlier said it expects around 850,000 applicants to register during the registration period from Nov. 6 to Nov. 30, 2017.

Over 2.7 million new voters have registered from November 2016 to April this year.