Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 27) — Both houses of Congress on Monday passed on final reading their versions of a bill which would extend the voter registration period for the 2022 elections.
The Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously approved Senate Bill No. 2408 and House Bill No. 10261, respectively, after the Commission on Elections refused to move the Sept. 30 deadline.
The Senate version proposed an extension until Oct. 31, 2021. Meanwhile, the House bill didn’t specify a date, only stating that the last day of registration shall be 30 days after the measure is enacted.
In pushing for the legislation, lawmakers have cited the series of suspension of the voter registration in the past months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is necessary to allot another month, they said, to prevent the disenfranchisement of a large number of Filipinos.
The upper and lower chambers would have to submit a reconciled version of the bill to President Rodrigo Duterte, who will decide whether or not to sign it into law.
Meanwhile, top-level Comelec officials also met on Monday to discuss the mounting calls for extension, the poll body’s spokesman James Jimenez said in a briefing. He added they are now preparing the recommendation to be submitted to the en banc.
The final decision is expected on Wednesday — just a day before the current registration deadline.
Comelec previously argued an extension could jeopardize other poll preparations. However, it also said that if the law is passed, they would have no choice but to comply.
