Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia Manila (INQUIRER.net file photo / RYAN LEAGOGO)
MANILA, Philippines — The fee for acquiring a voter’s certification will be waived starting February 12 (Monday), Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia announced on Thursday.
This move is meant to emphasize February 12 as the start of voter registration for the 2025 elections.
The date is dubbed as the ‘Pambansang Araw ng mga Botanteng Pilipino’ or National Voters Day.
Comelec made the declaration through a press statement sent to reporters.
“’Yun pong lahat ng certification fees na binabayaran ng ating mga botante kapag kumukuha ng certification sa Comelec, idedeklara na po natin ‘yang libre,” Garcia said in an ambush interview.
(All certification fees paid by our voters when obtaining certifications from Comelec will be declared free.)
The cost of a voter’s certificate is currently P75.
The cancellation of fee for voter’s certification is effective in all offices of election officers, Comelec National Central File Division and Comelec Office for Overseas Voting.
The poll body will also conduct Voter Education and Registration Fair in all 18 regions nationwide during the registration period, which will last until September 30.
Garcia and other Comelec personnel are set to visit Kalayaan Islands, Baguio city, Bicol, Mindanao, and other areas to convince non-registered voters to register and vote in 2025.