• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The Commission on Elections appealed to the public, particularly first-time voters, to apply for registration as early as possible, as registration resumed yesterday and will continue until May 18, 2026.
“Hopefully, for those who have not yet registered, we urge you to apply as early as you can and not wait for the last days anymore. We are also open every Saturday to cater to our students,” Comelec Negros Island Region Director Atty. Lionel Castillano appealed to the public.
Castillano reported yesterday that the first day of the resumption of the registration mostly catered for transfer and correction of records, while there were no first-time voter applicants in the Comelec offices across the region.
However, they are expecting that every Saturday, Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) and first-time voter registrants will start to flock to their offices.
“We are reminding the public to check our schedules,” he said, citing that the commission will put up satellite offices and will visit schools and barangays to make registration accessible.
During the Comelec registration from August 1 to 10, at least 130,000 applicants had been approved.
Negros Occidental had 78,313 applicants, followed by Negros Oriental with 47,648, and Siquijor with 4,417.
During registration, the commission will no longer accept barangay certification or company ID as proof of residence; only government-issued ID will be accepted. If that is not available, new voters can bring one registered voter to identify them as a resident, Castillano said.*
