The Metro Manila Council (MMC) has appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to postpone the voters’ registration until January 2021 due to the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
According to MMC Chairman Mayor Edwin Olivares, the health of the registrants especially in the National Capital Region (NCR) may be compromised if the registration continues. The influx of applicants cannot be controlled and physical distancing will be hard to impose.
He emphasized that it is best to schedule the voters’ registration on January 2021 or once Metro Manila has been lowered to Modified General Community Quarantine.
The council of Metro Manila Mayors urged the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to consider the suggestion. The appeal was discussed in the en banc session of COMELEC Wednesday. The commission is expected to decide as soon as possible.
Based on COMELEC Resolution No. 10-635, the voters’ registration for the May 9, 2022 elections is scheduled until September 30, 2021. – Report from Kenneth Paciente
