The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on announced the launch on December 17 of its “Register Anywhere Project” (RAP) in five selected malls in Metro Manila.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said henceforth, RAP then be conducted every Saturday and Sunday until January 29, 2023.
Laudiangco said however that no registration will be held on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1, 2023.
He said the poll body has yet to determine the five selected malls in Metro Manila.
He said any qualified applicant residing in the Philippines can register at the RAP booths in designated NCR malls during the said period.
Applicants must submit their application form, documentary requirements, and have their biometrics taken on-site, Laudiangco said.
The submitted documents and captured biometrics data will be endorsed and transmitted by the recipient RAP teams to the Office of election officer of the district, city, or municipality having jurisdiction over the residence of the applicant for the requisite verification, publication, posting, and Election Registration Board (ERB) hearing.
“To emphasize, a public demonstration will be conducted before the actual roll out, with the date/s therefore to be announced later on. At the moment, every step of the processes are currently being studied and improved, most particularly on the information technology infrastructure part,” Laudiangco said in a statement.
“As we know, aside from the operational processes, the RAP is largely dependent on current IT infrastructure and resources. We are looking likewise on improving the on-site set-up vis-a-vis the select mall sites and spaces allocated for the purpose, including crowd queuing and people-traffic management,” he added.
Laudiangco said the project’s operational plan was approved by the en banc last October 26.
The Comelec also conducted an initial internal end-to-end demonstration of the RAP in Robinsons Place, Ermita, Manila on November 4.
The activity, led by Comelec chief George Erwin Garcia and Commissioner Rey Bulay, sought to fine-tune the system before it is officially rolled out to the public.
“The senior officials and department heads in attendance were provided an opportunity to witness and experience first-hand the areas that would benefit from further improvement, so that any issues may be swiftly and adequately addressed,” he added.