PREPARATIONS for the upcoming 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) have begun, with many Filipinos applying for voter registration.

As of August 31, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it had received a total of 5,831,291 applications for voter registration since it began on February 12.

Of the number, Calabarzon recorded the most new registrants, 974,655. It was followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 782,838 and Central Luzon with 662,246.

The Cordillera Administrative Region registered the lowest number of applications at 81,841.

These millions of Filipino voters include members of Generation Z, who will play an important role in the 2025 elections.

Impact on the youth’s future

Gen Zs, the youngest group of voters, have been actively participating in the Philippine elections, including the 2022 presidential and vice presidential elections and the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE). 

Now, they are gearing up for the 2025 elections which will elect new members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to form the 20th Congress of the Philippines, as well as local government officials.

Among those who are expected to participate in the polls are college students Shaina Marie Maldo, Ishi Desiree Canin, Estephanie Macatuggal, and Ma. Nicole Meredes. 

These students knew how significant their role is as young voters, emphasizing that their participation in the elections would affect both their future and the future generations.

“Our nation’s future is in our control,” Macatuggal told republicasia. “We elect leaders who carry the vision and ability to guide the nation in a fair and just manner through the process of voting.” 

For the 20-year-old public administration student, her votes in the upcoming polls will serve as her “voice” that will help “create a more promising future.”

Maldo, 19, and Meredes, 21, agreed with this and highlighted that young voters like themselves have the power to scrutinize running officials to better decide who is capable of serving the Filipino people.

“Kung tayong mga kabataan ay may kakayahang kumilatis [at] magluklok nang tamang tao, sigurado ako na uunlad ang bansa and tayo rin namang mga young individuals ang makikinabang nito at pati na rin mga [susunod] na [generations],” Maldo stressed.

“Napakahalaga ng pakiki-cooperate sa mga aktibidad ng ating bansa upang makamit natin ang pag-unlad na inaasam natin,” Meredes, meanwhile, said. “Hindi natin ito makakamit kung hindi tayo makikiisa sa mithiin ng bawat mamamayan ng ating bansa.”

Expectations for 2025 polls

These young voters also shared what they look forward to as the 2025 NLE comes closer, and one of them is how other Filipino voters would choose the candidates they would vouch for.

Macatuggal hopes Filipinos will support running officials with “a genuine interest” in serving the public. She said Filipinos deserve hard-working and passionate leaders and not those who were only born into prominent families.

“This cycle can be broken [by] choosing leaders based on their ability, rather than their family connections. This is the only way we can genuinely progress,” she stressed.

This is why Maldo also wants voters, especially those who lack access to information, to be educated more about the elections and the candidates.

“Sana magkaroon ng movement or mga programa na magtuturo sa mga Pilipino kung paano pumili ng iboboto o ano yung tamang batayan base sa facts para pagdating sa midterm polls ay tama at garantisado,” she said.

While Canin awaits the views of other voters on the upcoming elections, Meredes said she looks forward to seeing government officials implement their campaign promises, particularly those that will uphold human rights and increase job opportunities in the country.

Hope for the nation’s future

As the country prepares to elect a new set of lawmakers, Meredes said she hopes Filipinos will have better job opportunities and that their concerns about the rising prices of goods and services in the country will be addressed.

Canin said she wants elected officials to focus on improving transportation infrastructures in the Philippines to lessen the burden of Filipino commuters, especially people with disabilities.

Maldo, on the other hand, expects to see improvements in the country’s justice system and budget allocations, as well as elected officials’ transparency and will to serve and protect the nation.

Macatuggal also has a message for future lawmakers: be “functional” for the rest of their term and not only during the campaign period.

“Their power comes from the people, which is why they should prioritize the people,” the public administration student said.

“The Constitution is in place to ensure that public officials remain accountable and transparent. No one is above the law,” she added.

For those who have yet to apply for voter registration, the Comelec said they will have until September 30 to do so to participate in the 2025 elections. The poll body previously said they would not extend the September 30 deadline.

The midterm elections will be held on May 12, 2025.