BACOLOD City — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod City has summoned 22 voter registration applicants to appear before the Election Registration Board (ERB) after an ocular inspection raised questions regarding their declared places of residence.
During the first day of ERB hearings on June 1, only 10 of the 22 applicants appeared before the board, according to City Election Officer Atty. Kathrina Trinio-Caña.
The hearings, which run from June 1 to June 5, form part of the verification process for voter registration applications filed during the April-May 2026 registration period.
Trinio-Caña said the applicants were required to explain discrepancies between the residences they declared in their registration forms and the supporting documents they submitted to the Comelec.
“These applicants insist that they are residents of the barangays they indicated in their applications, but the documents they submitted appear to conflict with their claims of residency,” she said.
Apart from the 22 applicants under review, the ERB also heard the cases of 42 voter registration applicants whose applications were formally opposed by a resident of Barangay 9, alleging that they were not actual residents of the barangay.
Of the 42 applicants issued notices to appear before the board, only 16 attended the scheduled hearing, while several others arrived later in the day, Trinio-Caña said.
The ERB is currently evaluating a total of 8,685 applications covering new registrations, reactivations, transfers, and corrections of entries submitted during the April-May 2026 registration period.
The board is composed of Trinio-Caña as chairperson, Atty. Hermilo B. Pa-oyon of the Local Civil Registrar as member, and Dennis G. Develos, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent-Officer-in-Charge, as member.
Comelec officials emphasized that the hearings are a crucial step in validating voter registration applications and ensuring that only qualified voters are included in the official voters’ list.
“The process is intended to uphold the integrity of the electoral roll and ensure compliance with existing election laws,” Trinio-Caña said.
The Comelec-Bacolod reiterated its commitment to maintaining a transparent, credible, and accurate voters’ list in preparation for future elections./PN
