THE seven-month voter registration for the 2025 national and local elections has started, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Monday.
At the Comelec’s office in Arroceros, Manila, there are a number of residents that queued as early as 4 a.m.
Many of the voters said they lined up early as they still have work afterwards.
Under the Comelec’s Register Anywhere Program (RAP) it allows eligible Filipinos to register to vote in designated sites like malls and schools.
No less than Comelec chairman George Garcia led in the voter registration inside the malls.
He said that will be less stringent, with each registrant expected to finish his or her application in about 10 minutes.
There are around 170 malls across the country that are hosting the RAP.
The Comelec said that upon registration, the applicants must simply present one of the following government-issued identification cards (ID) bearing their signature:
- National Identification (ID) card under the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys)
- Postal ID card
- PWD ID card
- Student’s ID card or library card, signed by the school authority
- Senior Citizen’s ID card
- Land Transportation Office (LTO) Driver’s License/Student Permit
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance
- Philippine Passport
- Social Security System (SSS)/Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or other Unified Multi-Purpose ID card
- Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) ID card
- License issued by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)
- Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on
- Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in case of members of ICCs or IPs
- Barangay Identification/ Certification with photo or
- Any other government-issued valid ID
Notably absent is the police clearance and company ID.
It was also learned that a delegation of the poll body headed by Garcia will also fly to Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea for voter registration.
Garcia said that some three million Filipinos are expected to register as new voters nationwide ahead of the 2025 polls.
Currently, there are 67.8 million voters registered, according to the Comelec
The voter registration will run until September 30, 2024, while the registration for the RAP will be until August 31, 2024.
Applicants may register from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in all Comelec offices nationwide.
