Comelec: Voter’s certification for free starting Feb. 12
The issuance of voter’s certification would be free of charge starting next week coinciding with the start of the voter’s registration for the 2025 national and local elections, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In a statement, John Rex Laudiangco, spokesperson for the Comelec, said the P75 fee for securing the document would be waived starting Feb. 12, which has been declared “National Voter’s Day” by the Comelec en banc.
Registered voters who belong to “vulnerable sectors” can still get their voter’s certification for free even before Feb. 12. These include senior citizens, persons with disabilities, persons deprived of liberty and members of indigenous cultural communities.
A voter’s certificate is a document that can serve as a temporary voter’s ID card upon the request of the registered voter. It is valid for a year from the date of its issuance.
Feb. 12 also marks the start of the voter registration period for the 2025 polls.
The seven-month registration period will last until Sept. 30, from Monday to Saturday, except on holidays.
Additional 3M voters
The Comelec aims to register 3 million more voters, increasing the voting population from 68 million to 71 million by the election period next year.
A Filipino who is at least 18 years of age on election day on May 12, 2025, a resident of the Philippines for at least a year and in the place wherein he or she proposes to vote for at least six months immediately before the Election Day, and not otherwise disqualified by law, can register as a voter.
They can register in Comelec offices in their localities.
Election officers will also be present for offsite and satellite registrations to be conducted in barangays, malls, educational institutions and other establishments.
READ: LIST: Valid IDs, procedure for voter registration on Feb. 12, 2024
During the voter registration period, Comelec will also implement its “Register Anywhere Program,” in which the poll body will accept applications for registration in all capital cities and towns and highly urbanized cities (HUCs). These sites will be set up in malls, universities, or government offices in all capital cities and towns and HUCs nationwide.
Those who also failed to vote for two consecutive elections have their voter registration records deemed deactivated. For them to be able to cast their vote during the 2025 elections, they should file an application for reactivation of registration record from Feb. 12 to Sept. 30. INQ
