Long line of registrants at Balanga City Comelec office. Photo by Ernie Esconde
BALANGA CITY — People registering for the national and local elections on May 2022 continued to troop to city and municipal offices of the Commission on Elections in Bataan on Thursday.
Long lines of those desirous to vote next year were observed in the city election office here and the municipal election office in Pilar town. Reports showed that the influx of registrants were also common in the towns of Mariveles, Hermosa, and other municipalities.
Balanga City election officer Melanio Sibayan said people started to line-up before 7 in the morning and so they also have to come early and be ready before the 8 a.m. regular office hour.
He said the influx of registrants has been noticeable since Sept. 6, 2021 when Comelec offices again started accepting applicants for registration after being closed for some months after Bataan was placed under enhanced community quarantine and later, modified ECQ.
Sibayan said they do not set a daily quota but decided to issue numbers to the applicants to avoid overcrowding in the election office. He said they register 180 to 200 applicants a day.
There were also many resorting to online registration that, he said, they prioritize but presently the system is down and still not functioning.
The election officer appealed to registrants to bring with them the necessary registration forms that are downloadable at the Comelec website and the requirements asked for to avoid delay.
“Nagpapasalamat kami na marami ang pumupunta dito at meron na silang form na dala-dala na kinukuha nila sa Comelec website. Sana lahat ng mga botante ganoon ang gawin para ma-lessen ang oras at mapabilis ang registration,” Sibayan said.
He reminded registrants to observe social distancing and wear face masks.
Registration goes on until Sept. 30, 2021 with Comelec offices open from Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As of July 24, 2021, Bataan, with 11 towns and one city comprising of 237 barangays, has 519,337 registered voters.
