AFTER over a month since the opening of voter registration, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has breached the 100,000 mark for applications received in Central Visayas for the 2025 midterm elections.
According to data provided to SunStar Cebu on Monday, March 18, 2024 by Comelec Cebu Spokesperson Omar Sharif Mamalinta, the voter registration count in the region has reached at least 105,117.
Mamalinta said the data encompasses all applications received over the past five weeks, starting from the opening of voter registration on Feb. 12 until last Saturday, March 16.
In earlier reports, the Comelec central office in Manila announced that those planning to register will have until Sept. 30 to process their applications.
Additionally, all election offices nationwide were told to accept registrants even on Saturdays and holidays, except for March 28, 29 and 30, in observance of the Holy Week.
As reported by SunStar Cebu on March 4, voter registration stood at around 70,000, reflecting three weeks’ worth of registration at that time.
Over the succeeding weeks, Comelec Central Visayas received an additional 18,637 and 15,517 applications during the fourth and fifth weeks, respectively.
Of the latest total figure, the breakdown figure for the age of voters was not determined; but in terms of assigned sex at birth, 52,016 of the registrants were male, while 53,101 were female.
On the distribution of registrations across the region, Cebu led with 72,023 processed applications, followed by Negros Oriental (20,303), Bohol (10,844), and Siquijor (1,947).
In a report dated Feb. 18 by SunStar Cebu, Comelec projected a 10 percent increase in registered voters in Central Visayas.
Ivan Jason delos Santos, Comelec administration officer, said during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in October 2023, the region had 5,415,071 registered voters. A 10 percent surge would elevate the total to 5,956,578.
Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Friday, March 15, applicants who do not receive registration confirmation letters may visit their respective Comelec offices after April to check on their registration application status for the 2025 midterm polls.
The election registration board, comprising of personnel from local Comelec offices, Civil Registrars, and Supervisor Superintendents of the Department of Education, will convene in April.
Garcia attended the launch of Comelec’s Register Anywhere Program at the Bangkal Barangay Hall in Lapu-Lapu City on March 15.
The program is supposed to provide a “convenient registration option” for voters, allowing them to register at designated sites nationwide, despite their current residence, eliminating the need to register solely at their local Comelec office. / KJF