The Commission on Elections unveiled on Thursday, August 19, new and extended daily voter registration hours for the 2022 polls.

In an advisory, the poll body said it would entertain voter applicants from 8 am to 7 pm from Mondays to Fridays, beginning August 23. Previously, voter registration was only until 5 pm on weekdays.

Additionally, voter registration will be ongoing on Saturdays and holidays from 8 am to 5 pm, until the September 30 deadline. 

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez initially announced on Wednesday, August 18, that daily voter registration hours would be extended, but stopped short of giving exact details, pending the release of guidelines. 

The move came after the poll body also rejected lawmakers and youth groups’ call to extend the voter registration deadline by at least another month, due to hard lockdowns that have prompted the suspension of voter registration multiple times since 2020.

It remains to be seen whether the extended voter registration hours would benefit people in areas such as Metro Manila, where registration is still suspended because the region is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until August 20.

If the capital region shifts to modified ECQ, voter registration would remain halted, as only Comelec offices in areas under general community quarantine and modified GCQ can accommodate voter applicants.

Groups have urged the Comelec to reconsider its position regarding a deadline extension. 

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Groups urge Comelec to reconsider extending registration

They have also pointed out that the Philippine Statistics Authority’s projected voting population for next year is 73.3 million. Comparing this to the 60 million already registered, they fear that 13.3 million who are qualified could be disenfranchised. – Rappler.com