450,000 voters list up in Eastern Visayas, Negros Occidental

NUNS fill out voter registration forms at Plaza Independencia in Cebu City, where the registration of new voters for the October barangay and youth council elections had been transferred to accommodate more registrants. JUNJIE MENDOZA/CEBU DAILY NEWS

BACOLOD CITY—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has registered over 450,000 voters in Eastern Visayas and Negros Occidental for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and barangay elections this October.

Based on Comelec records in Eastern Visayas, there are 227,596 new registered voters for the SK elections and 77,261 for the barangay elections or a total of 304,857 voters in Eastern Visayas.

Eastern Visayas is composed of the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Biliran.

On the other hand, the Comelec registered 102,045 SK voters and 54,127 new voters for the barangay elections,  or a total of 156,172, in Negros Occidental, according to provincial elections supervisor Jessie Suarez.

Suarez said 20,755 voters also went to the Comelec provincial office to transfer or reactivate their registration.

Many voters were unable to beat the deadline for the 10-day registration period which ended on July 31.

Suarez said the time allotted for the registration of voters for the SK and barangay elections was just 10 days because the Comelec barely had time to rest after the May 13 national elections.

“We have not even been able to wind up our work in  the May 13 elections,” he said.

Lawyer Felicisimo Embalsado, Eastern Visayas Comelec assistant regional director, said the number of voters in the region might turn out to be lower after those disqualified are stricken off the voters’ list.