A daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo joined calls to extend voter’s registration with only three days before the period closes on September 30.
On September 27, Tricia Robredo wrote #ExtendTheReg in her quote-retweet of a post with photos of a crowded vicinity of voter applicants.
As of writing, the Commission on Elections had stood its ground on its set deadline this coming Thursday despite pressure from both the Senate and the House of Representatives to extend it.
#ExtendTheReg https://t.co/buMBtdGV7k
— Tricia Robredo (@jpgrobredo) September 27, 2021
In the tweet the younger Robredo retweeted, the Twitter user shared photos of long lines of voter applicants at SM Fairview in Quezon City at 3 am.
The online user also tagged the accounts of Comelec and poll commissioner Rowena Guanzon in an attempt to bring the situation to their attention.
Under the thread, the Twitter user recalled that security guards tried to disperse those who were already in line since 11 p.m.
This forced the people to make a list of those who were present at that time. However, the security guard refused to acknowledge this list.
Later on, the Twitter user also added that some people refused to fall in line anymore, thus formed a thick crowd at the gate.
Philstar.com also reported a long queue of potential voters at the registration site at Ali Mall in Quezon City.
The photos showed the applicants camped out at the long walkway surrounding the mall.
Earlier, on September 26, a Twitter user shared a video of a long line of registrants outside a mall.
Pila sa labas ng Robinsons Mall for COMELEC Registration, 10pm palang!!! pic.twitter.com/lXC5tVtOdF
— puto bumbong marcos (@hundongis) September 26, 2021
Voter registration during the pandemic had also been affected by the shifting quarantine rules.
Since its resumption this month, there had been reports of local Comelec offices and other registration sites grappling with the influx of new voters.
This prompted several personalities and some concerned Filipinos to call on Comelec to extend the deadline due to concerns that millions of potential voters might not make it.
READ: In ‘Squid Game’ skit, Sassa Gurl slips in call to extend voter registration
Both chambers of Congress also passed bills for a month-long extension for new registrants.
Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo later made a counter-offer in a hearing.
Instead of delaying the scheduled deadline, Casquejo said they will just resume the voter’s registration after the filing of certificates of candidacies this coming October.
The poll body previously cited operational concerns as their reason for refusing to adjust their schedules for the 2022 national polls.
As of writing, there’s still no update on the poll body’s decision.
