There is less than a week before the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) two-month voter registration comes to an end. Have you registered yet?
Back in June, COMELEC Spokesperson James Jimenez, announced in a statement that the poll body is opening all offices from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8:00am to 5:00pm to accommodate new voter registration. Running from August 1 to September 30, 2019, the continuing registration of voters is expected to yield around 2 million new registrants ahead of the May 11, 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
As the program nears its end, various organizations are calling on people to go out of their way to register. Among these is creative agency MullenLowe Philippines. In a statement released by their President, Leigh Reyes, she offers employees one sponsored sick leave they can use to register.
Reyes’ statement reads “If you’re sick of sitting back and not being able to do anything—go on sick leave. At MullenLowe, we believe that registering to vote is one of the most concrete powers we have to help build a better future. That’s why we came up with #NationalSickLeave—a sponsored sick leave day that Mullennials can use to register to vote.”
She adds,“It would be great if other companies could give their employees one sponsored sick leave for this purpose, too, especially those in industries where their employees are required to always be on call. The government has already done their part by opening the registration six days a week—holidays included. It’s up to us now to encourage our people to take action and seize this opportunity for change.”
Pursuant to COMELEC Resolution No. 10549, any Filipino citizen who is not yet a registered voter, who will be at least fifteen (15) years of age on May 11, 2020, and residing in the barangay for at least six (6) months on or before Election Day is eligible to register.
Registered voters as of the May 13, 2019 midterm elections need not apply.
For more information, visit www.comelec.gov.ph.
