Comelec: Around 750,000 new registrants for 2025 elections

MANILA, Philippines — Commission of Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said on Thursday that around 750,000 people have already registered for the 2025 midterm elections.

“As of yesterday (Wednesday), mga 750,000 na po yung napaparehistro natin na kababayan natin,” Garcia said in an ambush interview.

(As of Wednesday, around 750,000 Filipinos have already registered.)

READ: Comelec: Voter’s certification for free starting Feb. 12

The official also expressed surprise with the number of people that registered for the elections, because according to Garcia, compared to the previous years, only a few people registered in the first few days or weeks of the registration period.

“Actually po napaka-unusual niyan, talagang extraordinary at nagulat kami noong nakakaraang registration namin, mga unang araw, unang linggo hindi masyadong kinakagat, hindi masyadong pumupunta mga kababayan natin, pero sa kasalukuyan ay sobrang dami na po ang pumupunta na po sa mga registration sites,” he added.

(Actually, that’s unusual and extraordinary, and we were astonished because in the previous registrations, only a few people showed up in the first few days or weeks, but now, so many people are going to our registration sites.)

Garcia made the statement at the opening of the Comelec’s launching of the Register Anywhere Program (RAP) in the Manila Electric Company in Pasig City.

In February, the Comelec launched the RAP to allow more convenient and accessible registration for the public.

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Furthermore, Garcia said that the Comelec will raise the matter of reissuing the voter’s ID to the legislative department.

“Plano po ng inyong Commission on Elections na hikayatin ang ating House of Representatives kasama na rin ang ating Senado na kung pa-pwede ay makapag-issue ang Comelec ng voter’s ID. […] Gusto po nating unahin ang mga overseas Filipinos, at pagkatapos itong mga kababayan natin sa Pilipinas,” Garcia said.

(The Comelec also plans to persuade the House of Representatives and the Senate, if possible, for the Comelec to issue voter’s IDs. […] We will begin with the overseas Filipinos, followed by Filipinos here in the country.)

“Iba po kasi ang datos na mayroon sa mismong voter’s ID. Iba ang nasa PhilSYS o nasa National ID. And therefore, kalimitan hinahanap talaga ng mga kababayan natin ang voter’s ID,” he added.

(The data in the voter’s ID, the PhilSYS, and the national ID are different, and the public usually looks for the voter’s ID.)