(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA)
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) expects around three million new registered voters before the 2025 midterm elections, Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday.
According to Garcia, the Comelec will conduct “massive” information dissemination for qualified individuals to register.
“We will be conducting massive information dissemination. Our information department will reach out to our fellow citizens because, from Feb. 12 to Sept. 30, what we want is that the registered voters will be around three million, in addition to our current 68 million voters,” Garcia said in Filipino.
The voter registration for the 2025 elections will run from February 12 to September 30.
Eligible voters only need to visit the office of the election officer (OEO) or satellite registration sites in their respective areas from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
However, registration will temporarily be suspended from March 28 to 30 in observance of Holy Week.
Registrants may access the application form via EOE and the Comelec website.
Applicants need to bring one of the following government-issued identification cards (ID) with their signature:
- National ID under the Philippine Identification System
- postal ID card
- PWD ID card
- student’s ID card or library card, signed by the school authority
- senior citizen’s ID card
- Land Transportation Office (LTO) Driver’s License/Student Permit
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
- Philippine Passport
- Social Security System/Government Service Insurance System or other unified multi-purpose ID card
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) ID card
- license issued by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)
- Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in case of members of ICCs or IPs
- Barangay Identification/Certification with photo
- any other government-issued valid ID
Garcia also reminded those who have yet to register that company identification cards will no longer be accepted, and only government-issued ones will be honored.
“We have seen a lot of abuses. As you know, it’s possible to mass-produce many company IDs. What control do we have over that? How can we verify if indeed there are four thousand employees registered in just one location? We will no longer allow such practices,” he said.
Garcia also reminded those whose permanent address is not where they currently live that they would soon be allowed to register anywhere they want.
“The most important thing is that the “register anywhere” project, which is no longer just a program, will be implemented nationwide in all highly urbanized cities and all municipalities or cities that serve as the capital of a province,” he said.
Garcia reiterated that the voter registration for overseas Filipino workers is until Sept. 30.
“We hope that everyone will register because we will be implementing internet voting, we will be implementing internet voting for overseas Filipino voters,” he said.