by Peter A. Balocnit

TABUK, Kalinga, Monday March 21 – The Commission on Election (Comelec) moved to May 1, 2011 the registration of voters and validation of registration records, according to OIC provincial election supervisor Rogelio Bagtang.

Bagtang said that Comelec Cordillera Administrative regional director Julius Torres said that the April 1 start of applications for registration, transfer of registration records, change/correction of entries, reactivation, and inclusion of registration has been moved to May 1.

However, Bagtang said they would still do the same preparation as they expect more new voters to register and record problems to encounter. “The process will run until October 31 as provided in the resolution, but since it has been moved for a month later, the deadline will also be extended to end of November,” he said.

He said it is the policy of Comelec to establish clean, complete, permanent, and updated list of voters through the adoption of Biometrics technology (photograph, fingerprints, signature) in the registration process.

Bagtang said the election officer assigned in a municipality may establish in a public place satellite offices within his area of jurisdiction to ensure wider voter participation, provided, that a number of prospective applicants had been counted in order to maximize the capacity of the voter registration machine, he clarified.

A separate satellite registration and validation of registration records of detainees in detention centers shall also be established in January 12 next year, he said.

Qualified to register are those 18 years of age, resident of the Philippines for at least one year and in the place wherein he proposes to vote for at least six months.

“Applicants must possess these qualifications or before the May 13, 2013 elections,” Bagtang clarified. (PIA-CAR/Kalinga)