MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday reported a low turnout of registrants in the court-ordered extended voter’s registration, making it unlikely to reach its minimum target of a million new voters.
The last day of voter registration for the May 2010 elections is tomorrow.
“Based on the reports from our field offices, very few are coming to register,” Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said.
Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ordered the Comelec to extend the registration period until Jan. 9, 2010 from its original deadline of Oct. 31.
In compliance with the ruling, the Comelec extended the registration from Dec. 21 to 23 and Dec. 28 to 29. The remaining period of the registration would be dedicated to the administrative part of the extended registration.
Melo attributed the low turnout of registrants to the holiday season, and the late release of the SC decision, which in turn caused a delay in information dissemination.
He added that a huge number of new voters have already filed their application before the October deadline.
In the latest tally of the Comelec, there are already some 49.2 million registered voters for the May 2010 polls, higher than 45 million registrants in the 2007 midterm polls.
By Mayen Jaymalin
(The Philippine Star)
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