Comelec conducts registration in campuses

CASTILLANO

WITH only three months to go before the deadline on the registration for both barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will conduct satellite registration for SK voters in schools.

“What we observed was that even in our satellite offices in the towns, the turnout of registrants were minimal. That’s why I advised the election officers to focus on the SK (voters) and our registration is now conducted in high school campuses,” provincial Comelec supervisor Lionel Castillano said.

He said the number of registered voters in Cebu went up from 2.2 million in 2013 to 2.7 million last year.

Castillano said they have been conducting satellite registration in barangay centers for the past few months.

Noting the penchant of voters to register at the last minute, Castillano called on voters not to procrastinate and register now to avoid the long lines in the last few weeks of registration.

Castillano said they will conduct a mass synchronized voter information campaign in Cebu next month.

As of December 30, the Comelec recorded 4,830 applications for SK registration for voters aged 15-17 years old in Cebu, and 4,775 applications for registration for those 18 years old and above.

The local government units that registered the highest turnout were Cebu City’s south district with 2,266 applications, followed by Mandaue City with 1,613 applications.

Cebu City’s north district ranked third with 1,607 applications and Lapu-Lapu City had 1,050 applications.

The provincial Comelec office received 16,979 applications as of Dec. 30, an increase of 4,000 from November’s 13,064 applications.