Schools, students can be harnessed in the conduct of special registration

Namfrel national chairman Jose Concepcion Jr. yesterday said that the decision to hold a special registration will depend upon the consultations and discussion between Congress and the Comelec, on whether the Comelec, with only 66 days before election day, will still have enough time to prepare for the elections, for which the Comelec is behind schedule.

Congress will also have to enact resolution that will enable a new registration. Concepcion, in a speech this morning before students of San Beda College, a member of the Mendiola Consortium composed of San Beda, Centro Escolar University, College of the Holy Spirit, and La Consolacion College said if and when the decision is arrived at, registration must take place before classes end. The decision of the Comelec to use the 1998 list of voters, with all of those who registered from July 1998 to Dec.27, 2000, is the right step.

The list of voters, together with the precinct maps, should be immediately posted, not only in the cities and municipalities, but also in the barangays, limited to the barangay precinct map and voters’ list for easy access of the residents so that verification could be fast-tracked.

The Mendiola Consortium, who are participating members of Namfrel or National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections will also have to undertake a massive education and information campaign by the teachers in their respective schools. They will be provided with copies of sample registration forms so that the students, guided by the teachers, will be familiarized with the forms and then expediting the actual registration.

The registration centers in the NCR, where majority of first-time voters reside, could be decentralized. "Additional registration centers could be put up in areas near the schools as the municipal and city halls, where registration of voters are conducted, will be overcrowded. Namfrel student and teacher volunteers can also help in the orderly queuing of registrants and assist the Comelec in manning the desks like in the areas of thumbprinting and filing.

In two letters dated Dec. 27, and 28, 2000, Namfrel had already asked the Comelec to extend the registration, from Dec. 27 to 11 more working days, ending on January 14. This would still have been within the provision of Republic Act 8189, or the continuing registration law, that no registration would take place 120 days before election day. This request was made in view of the fact that even with the existence of the continuing registration law, there was no massive campaign conducted to inform the public of the deadline. To assist in information dissemination, Namfrel caused the publication of an ad in Dec. 22 and 24, on the registration deadline.

The Mendiola Consortium is headed by Fr. Bernardo Perez, rector of San Beda College; Sr.. Eufracia Marcojos, president of the College of the Holy Spirit; Dr. Lourdes Echauz, president of CEU; and Sr. Imelda Mora, OSA, president of La Consolacion College.