MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is prepared to secure and ensure extended voter registration for next year’s national and local elections.
PNP Chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar gave this assurance after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) agreed to extend registration hours to facilitate more individuals who want to vote despite the coronavirus outbreak.
“Ngayong kakaiba ang ating sitwasyon, kailangan din siguruhin ng PNP na nasusunod ang minimum public health safety standards at quarantine protocols sa mga registration sites (Now that the situation is different, the PNP also needs to ensure that minimum public health safety standards and quarantine protocols in the registration sites are observed),” he said in a statement.
Eleazar also ordered local police forces to collaborate with local government units on this subject, and he reminded police commanders to ensure strategic and balanced manpower deployment as policemen are also sent to secure vaccination sites.
The poll body declared on Thursday that voter registration hours will now be 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and holidays.
The Comelec has rejected appeals from lawmakers to extend the voter registration deadline beyond September 30, claiming that doing so would cause other issues that would affect the schedule for next year’s elections.
According to the most recent Comelec data, the number of new voter registrants in the country has reached 4.3 million.
