Comelec: No listup extension save for those in line

MANILA, Philippines--The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would not extend the deadline for the registration of new voters, but would process next week the applications of those who were in line but could not be accommodated due to the blackouts that hit Luzon Saturday.

Comelec Chair Jose Melo said he had received reports that local election offices in “Metro Manila and southern Luzon” were unable to process the registration applications of eligible voters because of the power outages caused by Typhoon “Santi.”

In consideration of the applicants who had lined up to register despite the typhoon, Melo said the Comelec en banc had directed local election officers to collect the registrants’ forms and list down their names.

The applicants can then come back on Tuesday to have their biometric data recorded on the data capturing machine.

But Melo ruled out any extension of the Oct. 31 deadline.

Several groups have been seeking an extension of the voter registration deadline.

“Those who were listed are the ones who can apply on Tuesday. If they don’t appear, then they won’t be able to register,” Melo said.

“No more special registration,” he added.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said applicants should make sure their forms have the stamp of the election officer, a sign that they were in line on Saturday.

Otherwise, they would not be entertained on Tuesday, he said.

In other regions not affected by Santi, the registration ended on Saturday at midnight, Melo said.

The last week of registration saw local election offices swamped with last-minute registrants who want to participate in the May 2010 national elections.

To accommodate more applicants, the Comelec extended the office hours of local election offices and ordered them to work on weekends.

As of July, the Comelec said it had removed about five million dead voters and multiple registrants and added nearly 3 million voters to the list.

The Comelec said it expected 48 million registered voters at the end of the registration period.

In Baguio City, exhausted employees of the Comelec reported an increase of people lining up to register Saturday, the last day of registration for new voters.

A few of the people told the Inquirer that they were sent there by their barangay captains.

But the Comelec employees just smiled, apologized to the crowd of villagers and then turned them away.

“We’re looking forward to sleeping on All Saints’ Day,” said lawyer Modesto Bahul, Baguio election officer.

The seven employees manning the makeshift registration area at the Baguio Convention Center had been struggling through the days with only five hours of sleep, Bahul said. With a report from Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon