Over 888,000 apply for voter registration for barangay, SK polls

A typical voting precinct during election day (File photo)

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is close to reaching its target of one million new voter registrants, having logged over 888,000 applicants during the first four days of the 10-day registration period for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

According to figures presented by Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia to the media on Tuesday, a total of 888,042 voter applicants have already been recorded. A total of 262,593 registrations were received on the fourth day, which is the highest number during the four-day tally.

Garcia earlier said that the poll body hopes that half of the new registrants will come from the youth sector. He also urged young Filipinos to register so they can be represented in the BSKE.

READ: Comelec aims for 1 million new voter registrations in 10-day drive

“The most successful voters registration in history. The most in number in the shortest period,” Garcia told reporters in a message.

Central Luzon continued to register the highest number of voter registrants at 208,398, followed by Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) with 102,235 registrations and the National Capital Region with 64,131.

The Cordillera Administrative Region logged the lowest number of applications among all the regions, with 12,987 applications.

Meanwhile, the Special Register Anywhere Program in several areas in Metro Manila recorded 6,048 registrations over the first four days.

Garcia also previously noted that the poll body had not seen a decline in registrations despite his announcement that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign on August 12 a proposed bill seeking to extend the current three-year terms of BSK officials to four years.

If enacted into law, the BSKE, currently scheduled for December 1, 2025, will be moved to the first Monday of November 2026.

The Comelec has set the nationwide voter registration period from August 1 to August 10, 2025. The poll body also launched the Special Register Anywhere Program in several areas in Metro Manila from August 1 to August 7, 2025.

The Comelec is accepting the following applications:

• Registration
• Change of name and status
• Correction of entries
• Reactivation of registration records
• Inclusion of registration records and reinstatement of name in the list of voters
• Updating of records of Persons With Disabilities (PWD), senior citizens, and members of the indigenous peoples (IPs) and indigenous cultural communities (ICCs)
• Transfer from overseas to local only

Meanwhile, the transfer of local registration records is not allowed during this registration period.

READ: LIST: Comelec’s Special Register Anywhere Program schedule

Comelec also said that anyone can bring at least one of the following government-issued IDs:

• National ID
• Postal ID
• PWD ID
• Student’s ID card or library card (with the signature of a school authority)
• Senior Citizen ID
• Driver’s license or student permit
• National Bureau of Investigation clearance
• Philippine passport
• Social Security System/Government Service Insurance System or Unified Multi-Purpose ID
• Integrated Bar of the Philippines ID
• Professional Regulatory Commission License
• Certificate of Confirmation from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples for members of ICCs and IPs
• Other government-issued valid IDs

The Comelec clarified that barangay certification or identification, community tax certificates (cedula), Philippine National Police Clearance, and company ID will not be accepted as valid. /apl/abc