Starting next week, voting registration hours will be extended by two hours, according to the Commission on Electons (Comelec).
In an advisory on Thursday, Comelec said starting Aug. 23, 2021, the voting registration in their offices will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. during weekdays instead of the previous 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, registration on Saturdays and holidays will be from 8 am to 5 pm.
The poll body said other information on the extended voter registration hours will be posted on Comelec’s website at http://www.comelec.gov.ph.
Comelec adopted the measure to offset the impact of the voter registration suspension it implemented in areas that were placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ (MECW) due to rising novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The suspensions prompted several lawmakers to call on Comelec to reset the Sept. 30, 2021 deadline to allow more people to register.
On Wednesday, the Comelec en banc unanimously voted against extending the deadline since it could affect its other preparations for the 2022 National and Local elections.
There currently over 60 million registered voters, who could participate in the 2022 polls, according to Comelec.