MANILA – Ang panawagan ng mga senador na palawigin ang deadline ng pagpaparehistro ng mga botante sa buong bansa ay tatalakayin pa ng Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Gayunpaman, sinabi ni Commissioner Rowena Guanzon na ang poll body ay nakatuon sa pagpapanatili ng deadline ng Setyembre 30, 2021.

“Last week we talked about that – the majority don’t want an extension anymore. But I heard yesterday that the Senate has a resolution…Previously, the Speaker of the House asked GMA (former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) for an extension of the candidacy filing. It’s a Senate Resolution but we haven’t discussed it again. Apparently, as of now, there is no extension. But the Senate Resolution requesting for an extension up to October 30 has not been discussed yet,” sinabi niya sa isang virtual briefing noong Huwebes ng hapon.

Inaprubahan ng mga senador ang isang resolusyon noong Martes na humihiling sa Comelec na palawigin ang deadline ng pagpaparehistro ng mga botante hanggang sa katapusan ng Oktubre.

Samantala, pinayuhan ni Guanzon ang poll watchdog, National Citizens ’Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), na magsumite ng kahilingan sa Comelec hinggil sa mungkahi nito na bigyan ang lahat ng mga kandidato ng kanilang itinalagang numero sa halip na ang karaniwang pagkakasunud-sunod sa balota.

“My suggestion to Namfrel is to write to the Commission en banc, to the Chair, and to all the commissioners, we have our emails, for the suggestion to be included in the agenda,” aniya.

“Their suggestion is good. In the Party-list, we actually raffle it by computer, it’s an electronic raffle so the Party-list you see has numbers, not your alphabetical. So it doesn’t matter if they start with ‘A’ ‘Ang Ganito’ ‘Ang Ganyan’ because we were raffling it. Namfrel’s suggestion is good,” dagdag niya.

Sumang-ayon din si Guanzon sa mungkahi.

“If I will vote in the Commission en banc, I am in favor of that but of course they must write formally and put the agenda in the Office of the Chairman or our Commission secretary, The chair and all commissioners have email addresses. I want that because your letters “A” have no advantage. Like me, the distance of my last name, letter G,” wika niya.