Albay voters enlist on 1st day of registration at Comelec

LEGAZPI CITY –– Hundreds of residents from different areas in Albay province took advantage of the first day of voters’ registration at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office Monday.

Emmanuel Balila, a first-time voter, said he took the chance of the first day so that he could concentrate on other activities, particularly in school.

“I am excited about the (May 2022) national elections. My vote is sacred and may lead to a better government,” he said.

Lawyer Jasmin Cecilia Banzuela-Belarmino, Comelec officer, said the influx of clients on the first day was good.

“I am hoping this scenario would be sustained so that they wouldn’t experience inconvenience, especially in forming a line and in filling out the forms,” Belarmino said.

She said not all clients who visited their office were new registrants. Some of them were transferees and some were for reactivation of status.

“We have deactivated 13,393 last year and we are expecting 50 percent of it will reactivate,” she said.

She said they were expecting more than 10,000 clients to flock to their office before the registration ends on September 30, 2021.

Belarmino said they would also conduct satellite registrations in outskirt villages and schools in the coming days./lzb