Comelec to voters: Register despite calls to postpone polls

MANILA, Philippines — Qualified voters should register even as Congress moves to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections set next year, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

“We still have voters who follow the rhythm of the elections. A lot of people wait until it is necessary before they register,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

Various bills have been filed at the Senate and House of Representatives seeking to postpone the barangay and SK elections to May or October 2022 or May 2023.

In his State of the Nation Address, President Duterte asked Congress to postpone the elections to 2022.

The President said the two-year term of office of incumbent barangay officials is not enough to finish their programs and projects.

Republic Act 10952, which postponed the barangay and SK elections from Oct. 23, 2017 to the second Monday of May 2018, set the subsequent elections on the second of May 2020 and every three years thereafter.

The Comelec said it sees a low turnout of new registrants amid calls to suspend the elections.

Voter registration, which resumed on Aug. 1, will end on Sept. 30. 

The poll body said it is expecting two million new registrants.

Jimenez said 100,300 new voters have registered on the first week. At least 92,392 are regular voters or those aged 18 years and above while 8,007 are SK voters or 15 to 17 years old.

Calabarzon has the highest turnout of new registrants at 19,651. Central Visayas has the most number of prospective SK voters at 1,043.