SENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara urged young Filipinos to register and vote as the September 30 deadline for voter registration draws near.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth said that the youth will feel the most impact of the 2022 national and local elections.

“You will be feeling the impact of your choices in the years to come. Who has the most at stake for the future of the country? It is the youth,” Angara said.

He said the report of the Commission on Elections that 4.3 million new voters have registered was encouraging.

“It bodes well for our democracy that our people are getting more involved in the electoral process by registering to vote in spite of the restrictions on mobility because of the pandemic,” Angara said.

To encourage more people to register, Angara said the government should intensify its public information campaign, particularly by tapping television networks and radio stations, starting with the state-run PTV-4.

The senator also suggested incorporating the campaign to register with the ongoing vaccination program of the government.

Angara said the Comelec, with the help of the local government units, could place some posters or streamers in vaccination sites reminding and encouraging people to register for the 2022 polls.

“We already have so many people lining up at these vaccination sites so placing Comelec materials there could be very effective. Magpabakuna at magparehistro,” he said.

“If Comelec and its partners could encourage even more Filipinos to register, then we could even hit the 62 million mark for the 2022 national elections,” Angara added.