MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) had announced today the voter registration is now extended from October 11 to 30, 8am to 5pm from Mondays to Fridays (except for the last day, Oct. 30) from the initial deadline of September 30 allowing more time for eligible Filipino voters to register for the 2022 national elections. Overseas voter registration is also extended for another 2 weeks, from October 1-14.
Vote Pilipinas, the official voter registration information campaign of COMELEC, held the last stretch of its townhall series, #MagparehistroKa Grand Townhall a few days before the COMELEC’s announcement of extension for voter registration. Streamed across various online platforms, the event gathered COMELEC officials, youth representatives, and partner organizations to participate in an online forum and roundtable discussion to encourage more Filipinos eligible to vote to register for the upcoming 2022 national elections.
“As early as June, we already reached our initial target of registering 4 million new and reactivated voters. We now stand at almost 63 million registered voters for 2022. We want to thank Vote Pilipinas for playing a vital role in being the partner of the commission in campaigning for more people to register“ said Director James Jimenez from the Education and Information Department of COMELEC in a keynote speech.
Several partner organizations also participated in the forum delivering each of their insights during the discussion. “Kailangan nating maibahagi sa ating mga kabataan na the right to vote is a right of passage for everyone. We want to raise a new generation of voters, na kikilatisin ang bawat boto at hindi magpapabili ng boto” said TOWNS Foundation Chair, Ces Orena Drilon.
“Ito ang panahon kung saan tayo ay lahat pantay-pantay, to have a choice to choose their leaders. Kailangan lahat ng sectors ng society, kailangan mag participate, kailangan bumoto” said Ron Astillas, Chair of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. “Grab the Vote is all about action, we’ve been trying to find ways to create awareness and education through our app and at the same time offering safe mobility solutions for Filipinos who need to go to registration sites and express their civic duties” added Crisostomo Alcaraz Deputy Country Marketing Head of Grab.
“We want to thank our campaign partners, who enabled us to push and share information on voter registration to every Filipino. With the extension, we hope to still encourage more Filipinos and it is never too late to register as we draw closer to the new deadline” says Ces Rondario, Impact Hub Manila’s co-founder and head of Vote Pilipinas.
Lastly, Vote Pilipinas encourage everyone to participate in the Magparehistro Ka! Challenge a social media campaign set to incentivize newly registered voters who are encouraged to post their selfies and captions detailing why it’s important for them to register to vote.
To participate in this challenge, newly registered voters simply need to post a photo of themselves on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, answering the question in their caption: “Bakit mahalagang magparehistro?” Participants must follow @votepilipinas, use the hashtags #MagpaRehistroKa, #VotePilipinas, #RegisteredtoVote, and #LiveSmartVoteSmart and send a photo of their registration stubs and proof of entries to the Vote Pilipinas account. To learn more, visit Vote Pilipinas on Facebook.
About Vote Pilipinas
Vote Pilipinas is the official Voter Registration Information Campaign partner of the Commission on Elections. Vote Pilipinas is a non-profit, non-partisan online and offline information campaign aimed at mobilizing Filipinos to register to vote for the upcoming national and local 2022 elections. Learn more about Vote Pilipinas through https://www.votepilipinas.com
About Impact Hub Manila
Impact Hub Manila (IHM) is a social impact incubator and a network of impact-driven entrepreneurs and change-makers. Five years since it opened its doors in the Philippines, IHM has directly supported over 500 entrepreneurs, reached over 20,000 individuals through its events, training, incubation programs, and funneled over 1 million USD – worth of grants and entrepreneurial support. The Impact Hub network is present in 100 cities and 56 countries worldwide. The United Nations in Geneva recognizes IHM as a key driver for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
