The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would hold a national synchronized mall registration on Saturday, September 11, or 19 days before the September 30 voter registration deadline, in an apparent bid to accommodate more voter applicants.

Select commercial establishments that Comelec partnered with – namely Robinsons Malls, Ayala Malls, and SM Supermalls – will be open on Saturday to Filipinos who have yet to register for the 2022 polls.

In Metro Manila, which is still under modified enhanced community quarantine, the National Capital Region Police Office will deploy at least 351 personnel on Saturday to ensure that health protocols are observed in satellite registration sites.

“Mahalaga sa amin hindi lamang ang comfort at convenience ng publiko, kundi na rin ang kaligtasan at seguridad ng lahat, lalo na sa mga huling araw ng pagpaparehistro,” Comelec Commissioner Aimee Ferolino said in a statement on Thursday, September 9.

(It is important for the Comelec not only to guarantee the comfort and convenience of the public, but also to ensure their safety and security, especially during the last days of voter registration.)

The effort comes amid calls by several groups for the Comelec to extend voter registration deadline by at least another month.

They pointed out that many months of voter registration were lost due to coronavirus-driven hard lockdowns.

The Comelec has repeated it would stick to the September 30 deadline, saying 61 million people were already eligible to cast their ballots in 2022, way past their 59-million target.

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But the Philippine Statistics Authority’s projected voting population in 2022 is 73 million, and groups fear that Comelec’s decision not to move the deadline would disenfranchise millions of voters. – Rappler.com