Despite the unanimous decision of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to not extend the voter registration period on September 30, 334 signatories/ groups (and counting) continue to call for the extension of the deadline. The unity statement released by the coalition PARTICIPATE supported the call to give Filipinos a chance to exercise their right to voter registration initiatives. The groups also appealed to strengthen registration efforts such as increasing satellite voter registration sites, exploring ways to accommodate first-time voters, and adopting a multi-stakeholder approach in the voter registration campaigns.

CODE-NGO, with five of its member networks and more than 2,500 civil society organizations, academic institutions, business councils, and youth groups, signed the Unity Statement.

Member Network Signatories:

• Central Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (CENVISNET)
• Eastern Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (EVNET)
• Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)
• Western Visayas Network of Social Development NGOs, Inc. (WEVNET)

Read the full text of the  Unity Statement and its growing list of signatories  here

Organizations or individuals who are interested in participating in the unity statement may email participate.asog@edu.ph

Photo courtesy of: Philippine Lifestyle