• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region has registered around 34,000 new voter applicants in 6 weeks, since the resumption of registration on October 20.
The majority of the 33,755 registrants were logged in Negros Occidental, which had 22,913, or 67.8 percent of the total applications. Negros Oriental registered 10,270, while Siquijor had 572 applications processed.
Comelec Regional Election Director Atty. Lionel Castillano said in an interview that a low registration turnout was observed in the month of November due to the flooding brought by the successive typhoons, which hindered the public from processing their voter registrations.
“Yes, our operations have been affected [by flooding]. Although no equipment was reported to be destroyed, our offices, particularly in Bacolod, were submerged in floodwaters,” Castillano said, stressing that the Comelec office in Bacolod City was situated in a low-lying area.
The commission is also urging the city government of Bacolod to allocate them a new office that is not prone to flooding. As Castillano reasoned out, “The office should not be prone to flood because our equipment is sensitive, and the voter registration forms and other documents must be preserved.”
Despite the low registration turnout, the commission is expecting a spike in the number of applicants in the month of December, citing that students will have ample time to process their registrations due to the upcoming Christmas break.
“We are looking forward to this December, when we will cater to the number of applicants,” he said.
Castillano further disclosed that they are now prioritizing conducting the registrations in schools and barangays to make it more accessible for the public and to prevent last minute registrations.
“By next year we will start our voter education at different schools, and we will bring our registration to them,” he stressed, after observing a low registration turnout every Saturday, which is supposed to cater to students.
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. The registration will run until May 18, 2026.*
