Voter's registration in P'sinan, other areas until Oct. 25

DAGUPAN CITY , Philippines  – Voters may go to the offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) today and on Oct. 25 in flood-affected areas in Pangasinan and elsewhere in regions I, II, III, IV-A, V, Cordillera Autonomous Region and National Capital Region to accommodate registrants who failed to enlist when typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng ravaged them.  

Lawyer Reddy Balarbar, election supervisor of Pangasinan, told The STAR yesterday that this was based on Comelec Resolution No. 09-0689 dated Oct. 13 considering the onslaught of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng which resulted in a series of blackouts, flashfloods, landslides in the said areas.

Balarbar said the resolution cited that the two typhoons hampered the conduct of the continuing registration of voters in said regions, thus the Commission resolved to authorize the rendition of overtime services by Comelec field personnel in the aforementioned regions on Oct. 18 and 25 (Sundays), from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as an exception to the overtime policy pursuant to Minute Resolution No. 09-0645 dated Sept. 29, 2009.

Balarbar said in flood-devastated Pangasinan, there were towns like Mangaldan, Umingan, Villasis, among others, whose records were submerged in floodwaters last week due to Pepeng.

But election officers in flooded areas are resorting to sun-drying their records, he said.

Also, since some areas in the eastern part of Pangasinan, the worst affected, had no electric power as a result of toppled transmitter and other poles because of rampaging waters, Balarbar said the Comelec central office provided 15 generator sets which arrived yesterday to ensure continuing registration of voters.

Pangasinan has about 1.5 million voters and about 100,000 are expected to register as first-time voters, Balarbar said. 

Deadline of registration and validation of voters is on Oct. 31.  – Eva Visperas