As part of its efforts to contribute to the honest, orderly and safe conduct of the national and local elections on May 9, 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chaired by Negros Occidental Rep. Juliet Marie De Leon Ferrer adopted two resolutions Thursday, urging the Commission on Elections to put in place all the necessary health safety and preparatory measures for the upcoming polls. The adopted House Resolution 1583 authored by Batangas Rep. Mario Vittorio Mariño calls for the conduct of a risk assessment and study on health safety measures, procedures, and protocols to be implemented in preparation for the 2022 presidential, national, and local elections.

Meanwhile, HR 1796 filed by the Minority bloc led by Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano urges the COMELEC to establish additional satellite registration centers to accommodate more constituents who want to register as voters. The committee requested the Comelec to submit its Consolidated Plan for the 2022 polls prior to its approval by COMELEC officials. COMELEC Executive Director Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. said the plan would serve as their guide in implementing all the necessary health and safety protocols as well as election rules and regulations. Ferrer called on top officials of the Comelec, Department of Health (DOH), as well as of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to attend their next hearing so all the concerns of lawmakers would be adequately addressed.

“Our purpose here is to help the COMELEC so we will have a smooth and safe elections, and ensure that all the health protocols will be observed. It is not to put you on the hot seat,” Ferrer said. Mariño said the goal of having a risk assessment and study on health safety measures, as well as procedures is to hold an election with a high voter turnout and a legitimate result, as well as ensure the safety of candidates and voters. On the necessity of putting up more satellite registration offices, Paduano said per data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are 73 million Filipinos who will be 18 years old and above by 2022, and out of 58 million currently registered voters, there are 15 million Filipinos who have yet to be included in the count of participants for next year’s elections. COMELEC Deputy Director Teofisto Elnas Jr. said as many as seven million voters were deactivated, mostly due to failure to vote twice in the elections.