BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 116,045 individuals in Negros Occidental have signed up in the voter registration for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections which ended July 23, exceeding expectations set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Provincial Comelec Supervisor Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria yesterday said that the three-week turnout for voter registration is “big.”
Based on what he recently observed, Ananoria disclosed that half of the registrants fall under Sangguniang Kabataan.
As to the scheduled SK and barangay elections on December 5 this year, Ananoria said they are in the middle of preparations, following the end of the registration, with an election board hearing set on August 1.
As far as we (Comelec) are concerned, the election will push through on Dec. 5, he pointed out.
Some lawmakers have filed bills in Congress postponing barangay and SK elections to a later date.
Comelec records showed that highly urbanized Bacolod City has 10,309 new voters.
He however raised the possibility that the number may still go down after the Election Registration Board (ERB) convenes on August 1.
Ananoria said that the ERB will check new applicants if they are indeed residents of their respective areas.
Based on his experience, he noted that “there is not much question of voters during the barangay and SK elections.”*
