GOING into the final week of the voter registration period in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) believes there could be more applicants than their initial projection of 100,000.
"The number of voters in the Bangsamoro is increasing. There is a possibility that by March 31, we will reach 150,000 voter registrants," said Comelec Chairman George Garcia in an interview Monday, March 23, 2026.
The Comelec said that from February 9 to March 23, there are already a total of 94,120 voter registrants in the Barmm.
Lanao del Sur has the highest number of applicants with 25,329, followed by Maguindanao del Norte wih 20,579, and Maguindanao del Sur with 15,396.
Basilan has a total of 13,047 applicants, followed by Tawi-Tawi with 10,461, and the Special Geographic Area with 9,308.
To note, the voter registration period in the Barmm will only be from February 9 to March 31, 2026.
Meanwhile, the voter registration period nationwide, except in the Bangsamoro, began in October 20, 2025 and will run until May 18, 2026 with the Comelec looking to enlist as many as four million individuals.
With less than two months before the deadline, more than 3.3 million applicants are now looking to become registered voters in time for the November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Comelec data showed there are now a total of 3,356,106 applications for voter registration across all regions. These were submitted from October 20 to March 21.
Seeing the most number of applicants is Calabarzon with 561,829 individuals.
Other regions with high number of voter registrants are Central Luzon with 388,393, National Capital Region with 344,214, Bicol Region with 204,036, and Central Visayas with 202,954.
The Register Anywhere/Anytime Program has 7,228 applicants. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)