BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Today is the last day of voters’ registration, with no extension, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental is ready to work beyond 5 p.m. to accommodate last-minute registrants.
Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria, provincial elections supervisor, said registrants queuing within 30 meters of the registration center after the 5 p.m. deadline will still be accommodated.
Earlier yesterday, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said registration sites will accept applicants until all those queuing have been served.
Based on Comelec Resolution No. 10868 that set the rules on voters’ registration for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), all election assistants (EAs) must list down the names of persons waiting in line to file their application for registration, and are within the 30-meter radius of the voter registration sites, at 3 p.m. of the last day of the registration period.
The applicants shall be called by announcing each name repeated three times in the order in which they were listed.
Any applicant, who is not present when his/her name is called, shall no longer be allowed to file his/her application for either registration, transfer or reactivation.
On the other hand, if the applicant is present when his/her name is called, his/her application shall be processed and his/her biometrics data captured.
Meanwhile, Ananoria said last week’s registration period had leveled off, pointing out they have noticed a drop of 400 registrants during the period.
As of Jan. 28, data from Comelec-Negros Occidental showed newly-registered voters in the province at 47,287.
Bacolod City is on top of the number of new voters at 12,482, followed by San Carlos City (3,073), Silay City (2,502), and Murcia (2,083).
SK registrants, meanwhile, is at 11,640 with Bacolod City still topping the number of registrants.
Ananoria said those interested to participate not just in the upcoming barangay and SK polls, but also in the 2025 midterm elections can register at their nearest Comelec office or at any available satellite registration venues.
Applicants are advised to bring valid proofs of identifications such as national ID (PhilSYS), passport, driver’s license, employment ID, student ID or library card signed by the management of the school, college or university, Senior Citizens ID, PWD ID, Indigenous Peoples Certificate from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and notarized barangay certification with applicant’s photo and signature./PN
