City Comelec records low turnout of registrants
For still unknown reasons the City Commission on Elections (Comelec) recorded a low turnout of registrants at the recently concluded continuing registration of voters.
Off hand, a source from the City Comelec said that only around 10,000 individuals have registered since the continuing registration started three years ago.
The continuing registration intended for new voters and transferees ended last December 31, 2006.
As of press time Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos declared that the commission will not extend the registration of voters.
It was learned that many others were not able to beat the deadline last December 31.
Thousands line up the City Comelec office at the second floor of the Iloilo Terminal Market building until late afternoon of Saturday.
The source said the commission has already recorded 220,000 voters in the city in 2003. The 10,000 newly registered voters is only five percent of the existing registered voters.
At present, the Comelec is attending to the registration of some new registrants who were able to submit their voters forms during the deadline. The registrants who were present within the 30-meter radius from the City Comelec at the strike of 5:00 p.m. last Saturday were accommodated. They will take their turns for the data capturing machine until January 7, 2007.
The source clarified that the Comelec is not extending its registration after the December 31, 2006 deadline. The Comelec national has not ordered for the extension of the registration and the local Comelec has to wait for whatever instruction related to the registration.
The source added that those who were not able to beat the deadline could not blame the Comelec since they have enough time to register. There are months that the Comelec opened on Sundays and yet no registrants visit their office, the source said.