REGISTER ANYWHERE Voters register at a Manila shopping mall during a test run in July. —FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will resume the registration of voters on Monday, ahead of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections set for Oct. 30 next year.
John Rex Laudiangco, spokesperson for the Comelec, urged qualified voters to take advantage of the listup because it will only run for over a month, or until Jan. 31.
All Comelec field offices will accept applications from new voters, delisted voters who want to reactivate their names in the voting list, and existing voters who want to transfer their voting place or correct their records.
Registration will be conducted Mondays to Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, which both fall on a Saturday.
However, voter registration in Baliwag, Bulacan, will resume on Dec. 22, or after the Dec. 17 plebiscite on the municipality’s conversion into a component city.
Meanwhile, voter registration will not resume in the municipalities of Amadeo, Indang and Tanza and the city of Trece Martires in Cavite due to the special elections for the province’s 7th congressional district scheduled on Feb. 25 next year.
Ask your election officer
The office of the election officer per area and authorized registration satellite sites will only accept voter registration applications from residents of the area.
The poll body will conduct special “Register Anywhere” services in 11 sites every Saturday and Sunday from Dec. 17 to Jan. 29, except on Dec. 24 and 31.
Unlike regular voter registration, the Register Anywhere project (RAP) will accommodate all eligible voter applicants regardless of where they intend to cast their vote.
RAP booths will be set up in eight sites in Metro Manila: the Senate, House of Representatives, Government Service Insurance System, SM Fairview in Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, SM South Mall in Las Piñas City, Robinsons Place in Manila and Robinsons Galleria in Quezon City.
Comelec will also be set up in Robinson’s Mall Tacloban, SM City Legazpi, and Robinson’s Mall Naga.
Requirements
To be eligible to vote, one must be a Filipino citizen at least 18 years old on or before the day of the barangay elections, a Philippine resident for at least a year, and a resident of the barangay where he will vote for at least six months before election day.
For the SK elections, eligible voters must be at least 15 years old but not more than 30 years old and residents of the barangay where they will vote for at least six months before election day.
Voter registration is free and application forms may be acquired at Comelec offices or downloaded from the official website.