Comelec urged: Hold offsite registration

CEBU, Philippines - The City Council is asking the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to hold registration of new qualified voters in selected barangays in the city’s north and south districts.

The Council believes doing so is one way of bringing essential services closer to the people.

Councilor Michael Ralota, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in Cebu City, assured the Comelec that holding off-site registrations will not incur extra expenses.

Ralota said the ABC is very willing to provide the needed transportation, food and accommodation to the Comelec personnel who will conduct the off-site registration.

“Off-site registration and re-registration is in line with the government’s policy of bringing essential services and facilities closer to the people and thus, advantageous and convenient even for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly, if the registration is conducted right in the barangays,” he said.

The City Council then asked Comelec Officers Marchel Sarno and Edwin Cadungog to start initiating the project and to coordinate with the city government for their needs.

Ralota observed that the Comelec has conducted numerous off-site registrations in the previous years and the same was proven to be an effective way of decongesting the number of people going to the Comelec office to register.

“At present there are already thousands of newly-qualified but still unregistered voters in Cebu City, especially the youths who used to be passive, cynical and indifferent when it comes to elections, but since many youth organizations and non-governmental organizations are making ways to register them, many of them want to practice their suffrage,” Ralota said.

Aside from those who will reach 18 years old on elections day on the second Monday of May 2013, the other qualified voters are those who have stayed one year in the country and at least six months at the place where he or she wants to vote.

The Council has approved Mayor Michael Rama’s proposed P25 million budget for election-related matters for this year. (FREEMAN)