Comelec to open voters registration in Kalayaan
THE Commission on Elections will resume its voter registration drive on February 12 in the island municipality of Kalayaan as a symbolic gesture to show that there is no place in the country that the Comelec can’t reach.
Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Thursday, February 1, said that Comelec will declare February 12 as the “Pambansang Araw ng mga Botanteng Pilipino (National Voters’ Day),” and has lined up a number of activities in honor of the Filipino voters on that day.
“Kalayaan is very symbolic. Because we want everybody to know and to show that anywhere you are in the country, Comelec will be there,” said Garcia in Filipino.
“At the same time, it is also very symbolic because many think that nobody is living in Kalayaan Island. We should remember that Kalayaan is a municipality of the province of Palawan and as such it has a mayor and other local officials. And it is important that even if it is a far-flung area, we will go there,” added Garcia.
Kalayaan Island is a fifth-class municipality under the province of Palawan. It is located in the disputed South China Sea.
Aside from the regular registration, Garcia said the Comelec will also bring to Kalayaan the “register anywhere” project.
The poll chief said that in celebration of National Voters’ Day, the issuance of voter’s certification in all offices will be free of charge starting February 12.
Aside from Kalayaan, Garcia said that Comelec will also go to Baguio City on February 24 to participate in the city’s annual celebration of the “Panagbenga (Flower) Festival” and encourage eligible voters to register.
Garcia said that they expect some 3 million additional new voters to register which will bring the total number of registered voters to 71 million from 68 million.
The system of continuing voter registration will be from February 12 to September 30. Registration will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. including Saturdays and holidays, except when declared otherwise by the Comelec.
Garcia said that an employee’s identification card will no longer be accepted as valid ID for purposes of registration, saying that only government-issued and barangay (village) IDs with picture and signature will be accepted.
A Filipino who is at least 18 years of age on election day on May 12, 2025, a resident of the Philippines for at least one year and in the place wherein he/she proposes to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the 2025 elections, and not otherwise disqualified by law, can register as a voter.
Regular registration will be done in all local Comelec offices in cities and municipalities, while offsite/satellite registration will be held in villages, malls, educational institutions and establishments.
The “register anywhere project (RAP) “will also be institutionalized and will be done nationwide following a successful pilot testing in the previous year.
It will take place in malls, universities, or government offices/agencies in all capital cities and towns and highly urbanized cities nationwide.
Through the program, a qualified registrant will be allowed to file his/her application wherever there is a designated RAP registration site regardless of his/her place of residence.