THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Baguio City is set to resume voter’s registration come August for the May 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls.
Baguio City election supervisor John Paul Martin said the resumption of the continuing voter registration would run only for two months starting August 1 to September 30, 2019 inclusive of Saturdays and holidays.
“We will concentrate on encouraging Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) members to register and run for the elections, we will go out and establish regular off-site registrations at schools, barangays, churches and other venues to expand our reach,” Martin said.
Based on the data recorded by Comelec Baguio after the filing of candidacies during the May 2018 Barangay and SK Elections, there were only 247 candidates for the Barangay SK chairman while 214 filed for SK Kagawads which have not reached one fourth of the supposed positions.
When multiplied, the seven positions for SK times 128 Barangays only turned out to be around 896.
For barangay captains, there were only 348 candidates with 1,803 running for barangay kagawads, while 17 running for village chiefs were unopposed.
Current SK voters, he added, need not register anew as a barangay voter as “their names will automatically be transferred from the SK List of Voters to the regular List of Voters” when they turn 18.
“We will be requiring a proof or qualification aside from valid identification cards and other pertinent documents for the first time Sanguniang Kabataan and Barangay first time voters,” Martin added.