Comelec registers over 130,000 voters in Negros Island Region

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Negros Island Region (NIR) registered 130,378 new voter applicants from Aug. 1 to 10 for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). Negros Island Region. INQUIRER FILES

BACOLOD CITY—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Negros Island Region (NIR) registered 130,378 new voter applicants from Aug. 1 to 10 for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

READ: Comelec reports 1.7 million registrants on eve of deadline

Negros Occidental led with 78,313 applicants, followed by Negros Oriental with 47,648 and Siquijor with 4,417, Comelec NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said on Monday.

Castillano noted a surge in registrations from young voters aged 15 to 17 for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

He expressed surprise at their enthusiasm, citing long queues and even an incident in Valencia, Negros Oriental, where a young registrant fainted.

Voter registration applications will be reviewed by the Election Registration Boards (ERB) during hearings on August 26. The ERBs are tasked with approving or disapproving applications to ensure all registrants are qualified voters.

Applications are automatically approved if no objections are raised.

Castillano said that if the BSKE, currently set for December, is postponed, voter registration would resume in the last week of October and continue until July 2026.

Due to the high volume of applicants in Bacolod City, he said he would request an increase in voter registration machines from three to five to better accommodate the public./coa