Comelec says it’s ready for next voters’ registration

Commission on Elections. Inquirer file photo.

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is gearing up for the next voters’ registration period as it garnered around 2.8 million new voter registrations during the recent 10-day drive for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

According to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Monday, the poll body recognized the “political maturity” of many Filipinos who showed up during the recent voters’ registration period.

Garcia, once again, regarded the registration turnout as the “most successful” in the history of the poll body where 65-67% of the new registrants were composed of the youth. The poll body exceeded its target of garnering 1.5 million new applications.

READ: Comelec tallies 2.13M new voters at end of latest listup

“The Filipino people have changed, especially when it comes to political maturity and the Comelec won’t deny that it is ready for this kind of change,” Garcia, speaking in Filipino, told reporters in an interview.

Garcia recognized the contribution made by Comelec’s field officers and their partner agencies such as private organizations, law enforcement authorities, and local government units during the registration period.

Garcia said that in terms of preparations, the Comelec will strengthen its registration drive from October 2025 to July 2026 if the BSKE will be reset from December 1, 2025 to the first Monday of November 2026.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier said that he will sign the bill seeking to extend the current three-year term of BSK officials to four years.

Garcia then said that the poll body will strengthen the next registration period by encouraging more Filipinos to register as voters. He emphasized the need for more Filipinos abroad to participate in the overseas voting.

He said that voters’ registration period for overseas Filipinos will run from November 2025 to December 2027.

“So in that long period of registration, there should be no reason why our constituents abroad won’t be able to register,” he added.

READ: Comelec: Voter’s registration applications subject to screening

Meanwhile, Garcia said that voter registrations will still undergo hearing by the Election Registration Board. He said that an application is approved once the registrants did not receive a letter for hearing from the board.

He explained that this signifies that no one objected to their registration during the hearing. However, he said that the voter registrant needs to attend the hearing if they receive a notice, otherwise, the board will grant the objection.  /mr