Comelec to hold SK polls in February

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will hold the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls on Feb. 21, 2015, an official said yesterday.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body promulgated Resolution 9899 on Friday, setting the registration period from Sept. 20 to 29.

“If you remember, the SK elections were supposed to be held last year. In the wake of calls for its abolition, Congress instead voted to postpone the elections, in order to have time to pass a law that would either amend or revise the SK system,” he noted.

Since no law has been passed on the SK system, he said the Comelec decided to set the elections.

Filipino citizens who are or shall be 15-17 years old on or before Feb. 21, were unable to register during the SK registration period on July 22-31, 2013 and who have been residing in the barangay for at least six months are qualified to participate in the SK polls.

Jimenez said qualified voters could also register at the Comelec office in the city or municipality where they reside.

Registrants should bring any of their certificates of live birth or baptism, school records or any other document that will establish their identity and qualifications. If these documents are not available, any person may, under oath, identify the applicant.

President Aquino signed into law Republic Act 10632 which postponed the SK polls scheduled in Oct. 28, 2013. The law tasked the Comelec to schedule the elections between Oct. 28, 2014 and Feb. 23, 2015.

Satellite registration

Meanwhile, the Comelec urged mall owners across the country to allow them to set up satellite registration to prevent disenfranchisement of voters in the 2016 polls.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. noted that since Filipinos are fond of going to the malls, voter’s registration booths there would stir public interest.

“The problem is people do not go to us, so we decided to have satellite registration. We go to the people instead of waiting for the registrants to come to us,” he said, citing the low turnout in the first two months of registration.

The Comelec opened its satellite registration booth at Robinsons Place in Manila, Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas, Robinsons Metro East in Pasig City and Forum Robinsons in Mandaluyong City.

These booths, which will soon be available in all Robinsons malls, will initially be operational on weekends

“We are thanking Robinsons, they are the first to offer their malls. We hope that other malls will follow,” Brillantes said.

The voter’s registration for the 2016 elections started on May 6 and will end on Oct. 31, 2015. It is estimated that some 9.6 million registered voters will not be able to vote in the coming polls if their biometrics data will not be validated.  So far, only half a million of these voters have updated their registration.