MANILA – All offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Metro Manila and its four neighboring provinces where the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has been extended, will remain temporarily closed.
“From April 5 to 11, 2021, voter registration will still be suspended all Offices of the Election Officer (OEOs) in NCR Plus, as well as in the Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) in the main office and its satellite offices,” said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in an advisory on Monday.
During the period, the issuance of voter's certification in said OEOs and the Comelec main office in Intramuros will remain suspended.
Over the weekend, the government has extended the ECQ in the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal known as the NCR Plus area, due to the high cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Meanwhile, voter registration in other areas will resume.
Applications will be accepted from Mondays to Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., but the issuance of voter's certification is until 5 p.m.
The poll body has designated Fridays as disinfection day.
Jimenez added that despite the physical closure of Comelec offices in the NCR Plus area, the poll body's office may be reached through their official e-mail addresses which may be accessed at comelec.gov.ph.
"During this period, e-filing of documents may be done pursuant to the Comelec guidelines on electronic filing. Under Resolution No. 10673, the Comelec will continue receiving, via e-mail, petitions, verified pleadings, memoranda, comments, briefs, and other submissions, in PDF format," he said.
Meanwhile, the poll body said overseas voting registration activities in all of the OFOV's local field registration centers (Comelec Main Office, DFA Aseana, POEA, MARINA SM Manila) (OFOV) shall also remain suspended until April 11.
“OFOV personnel will be contacting all applicants with pending requests for the issuance of overseas voting-related certifications to verify their identity and registration status during regular office hours from 05 to 08 April 2021,” it said.
It also advised those with appointments scheduled for this week to contact the OFOV for rescheduling. (PNA)
