BACOLOD City – To accommodate walk-in applicants, persons with disabilities and healthcare frontliners, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in this city will conduct a five-day voters’ registration in two malls.
According to Comelec officer Kathrina Caña, the “satellite” registration will be on June 25, 26, July 9 and 10 at SM City Mall, and at City Mall in Mandalagan on July 3.
On June 25 and July 9 the Comelec office at the BAYS Center will be closed as all its personnel would be utilized for satellite registration.
Comelec initially planned to conduct satellite voteers’ registration in the barangays based on the Comelec en banc resolution but due to the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), registration must only be held in COVID-free barangays, Caña said.
“Since there is none, the city Comelec asked the approval of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to hold it in the two malls, and they approved such request,” she said.
Comelec targets to accommodate over 230 applicants during the satellite registration but it will depend on how fast they could fill-up the form.
The registration in SM City will start at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., while the schedule for the City Mall is yet to be finalized.
Caña said standard health protocols will be observed in the venues.The applicants are required to wear facemasks and face shields, and observe social distancing./PN
