4M Filipinos register for SK elections

MANILA, Philippines — More than four million Filipinos signed up as voters in the recently concluded two-month voter registration conducted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) despite the fact that Congress was inching closer to postponing next year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

Comelec data showed that a total of 4,097,003 applications were filed at different Comelec field offices during the nationwide voter registration that ran from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30.

“A turnout this high far exceeds the projected number of new registered voters for the year 2020. This is true for the 16 regions in the country,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement on Tuesday.

Applications from regular registrants or those aged 18 years and above reached 3,082,396, while applications from those 15 to 17 years of age, who are qualified to vote for SK positions, reached 1,014,607.

Female registrants outnumbered male registrants at 2,150,259 and 1,946,744, respectively, the Comelec said.