Over a hundred colleges, universities, and organizations in the Philippines are petitioning the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to rethink its previous decision to maintain the voter registration deadline on September 30 by extending it until October 31, 2021.
The 105-member group said that the extension is when public quarantine restrictions would be eased and individuals will be able to move about in somewhat greater safety.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding community quarantines of the past 18 months – particularly their concomitant adverse effects on health and livelihood – have posed innumerable, exigent, basic-needs challenges to our people as never before,” they said in an issued joint statement.
“Pressed by anxiety over immediate existential concerns, many Filipinos have not been afforded the time and mental leeway to register to vote. Even those not immediately threatened existentially are dissuaded from responding to COMELEC’s registration drives owing to the risks of catching the disease, the uncertainty of getting effective treatment, and the need to adjust to changing public quarantine guidelines in what is a rapidly developing situation,” they added.
According to the organization, although improvement in vaccination rates is promising, it is relatively recent and fails to address the dangers for the majority of people. It fails, in particular, to soothe the health worries of millions of younger would-be voters who are not among the priority sectors for immunization.
In light of this reality, they urge COMELEC to exercise the utmost flexibility and human understanding in its decisions in order to provide all eligible Filipino citizens with the opportunity to exercise their most fundamental and sacred right in a democracy – the right to choose their government representatives.
“We commend the COMELEC for using satellite sites such as school campuses, shopping malls, and other public and private institutions to facilitate voter registration. But with so many eligible Filipinos still unregistered, it is reasonable to increase not only the number of satellite sites but also the number of voter registration days,” they said.
“We note that the cut-off date for voter registration in 2010, 2013, and 2016 was October 31. If an exigency justifies an extension, then certainly this once-in-a-lifetime crisis is one that calls for it,” they added.
They stated that they are appealing to the Commission to reconsider its decision on behalf of Filipino youth who are just coming of age and will be first-time voters in the 2022 elections, explaining that they should be given the opportunity to exercise their civic duty and demonstrate their love for country.
Citizens should not be asked to choose between risking their health and fulfilling their constitutional duty.
- ADAMSON UNIVERSITY
- AKLAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- ANTIPOLO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- ARAULLO UNIVERSITY
- ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS IN PUBLIC PRACTICE (ACPAPP)
- ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES (ACSCU)
- ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY
- ATENEO DE NAGA UNIVERSITY
- ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA UNIVERSITY
- BALIUAG UNIVERSITY
- BICOL UNIVERSITY
- CAGAYAN DE ORO COLLEGE
- CAPITOL UNIVERSITY
- CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (CEAP)
- CEBU BUSINESS CLUB (CBC)
- CEBU LEADS FOUNDATION (CLF)
- CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
- CENTRAL LUZON COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- CENTRO ESCOLAR LAS PINAS
- CENTRO ESCOLAR UNIVERSITY
- CHAMBER OF THRIFT BANKS (CTB)
- CIBI FOUNDATION, INC.
- COORDINATING COUNCIL OF PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS (COCOPEA)
- DAVAO ORIENTAL STATE UNIVERSITY
- DE LA SALLE PHILIPPINES
- DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY
- EAST ASIA COMPUTER CENTER, INC
- EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE
- FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY
- FEDERATION OF PHILIPPINE INDUSTRIES (FPI)
- FEU ALABANG
- FEU CAVITE
- FEU HIGH SCHOOL
- FEU PUBLIC POLICY
- FEU ROOSEVELT
- FILIPINA CEO CIRCLE (FCC)
- FINANCIAL EXECUTIVES INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES (FINEX)
- FINEX RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, INC.
- FINTECH ALLIANCE PH
- GUILD OF REAL ESTATE ENTREPRENEURS AND PROFESSIONALS, INC. (GREENPRO)
- HOLY ANGEL UNIVERISITY
- INSTITUTE OF CORPORATE DIRECTORS (ICD)
- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (IPAP)
- INVESTMENT HOUSE ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (IHAP)
- JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY
- JUDICIAL REFORM INITIATIVE (JRI)
- LYCEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES
- MAKATI BUSINESS CLUB (MBC)
- MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (MAP)
- MANILA TYTANA COLLEGES
- MANUEL S. ENVERGA UNIVERSITY
- MIRIAM COLLEGE
- NATIONAL REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION, INC. (NREA)
- NATIONAL TEACHERS COLLEGE
- NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
- NICANOR REYES EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
- NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- PAMPANGA STATE AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
- PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES (PAPSCU)
- PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (PACU)
- PHILIPPINE LIFE INSURANCE ASSOCIATION (PLIA)
- PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY
- PHILIPPINE RETAILERS ASSOCIATION (PRA)
- PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S ECONOMIC NETWORK (PHILWEN)
- PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY
- PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY – JASMS MANILA
- PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY – JASMS QUEZON CITY
- POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
- PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY INSTITUTE OF ASIA (PASIA)
- REPUBLICAN COLLEGE
- RIZAL COLLEGE OF LAGUNA
- SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
- SAINT MICHAEL’S COLLEGE OF LAGUNA
- SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (SHAREPHIL)
- SILIMAN UNIVERSITY
- SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY – PHINMA
- ST. JUDE COLLEGE
- ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES
- STI COLLEGE OF SANTA ROSA
- TARLAC AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
- TARLAC STATE UNIVERSITY
- TAX MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (TMAP)
- TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES
- TECH-VOC SCHOOL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (TVSA)
- THE MANILA TIMES COLLEGE
- TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
- UNION COLLEGE OF LAGUNA
- UNIVERSITY OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
- UNIVERSITY OF BAGUIO
- UNIVERSITY OF BATANGAS
- UNIVERSITY OF CEBU
- UNIVERSITY OF ILOILO
- UNIVERSITY OF NORTEASTERN PHILIPPINES
- UNIVERSITY OF PANGASINAN
- UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP SYSTEM DALTA
- UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP SYSTEM JONELTA
- UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN MINDANAO
- UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST
- UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
- UNIVERSTITY OF SANTO TOMAS
- UNVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES
- WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY – PHILIPPINES
- WOMEN’S BUSINESS COUNCIL PHILIPPINES (WBCP)
- XAVIER UNIVERSITY – ATENEO DE CAGAYAN
