COMELEC Bacolod postpones satellite registration

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MITCH M. LIPA

The Commission on Elections in Bacolod City has rescheduled the satellite registration set in the next two weeks to September after two more employees tested positive for COVID-19 August 16.

The Comelec Bacolod office stopped operations since Monday after an employee, who manifested symptoms of the disease, was admitted to the hospital Saturday.

Three employees of the Commission on Elections in Bacolod City tested positive for COVID-19, prompting Election Officer Atty. Kathrina Trinio-Caña to postpone the scheduled satellite voters registration in the city.

Election officer, Atty. Kathrina Trinio-Caña, said she received the results of the swab tests on the close contacts of the employee Monday noon, which showed two more colleagues positive for COVID.

Caña said she tested negative, adding that two of the three infected employees, who are now in isolation, have been fully vaccinated while the other one has not received the vaccine.

She said she believes that these employees were not infected in the workplace or during the satellite registration held the previous week since some of them have family members, who also got infected by the virus.

Because of the situation, Comelec Bacolod cancelled the satellite registration August 14 at SM mall, and Caña announced that all other list-up activities set in malls this month have been postponed.

These include the satellite registrations on August 20-21 at Robinsons Place, and August 28 at SM mall.

The special registration at the University of St. La Salle on August 27 was moved to August 31, she said, adding that Comelec will need a new permit to hold satellite registrations in September.

Caña said they have to double their effort next month for both regular and special registrations since the last day of the voter registration for the May 2022 presidential and local elections is on September 30.

Meanwhile, the applications of registrants from July 1 to September 30 will be subjected to the Election Registration Board hearing in October before their names can be included in the final list of voters in Bacolod City for next year’s elections.

Bacolod City has 302,168 voters, as of July 31, 2021. – MML