Comelec expects last-minute surge in voter registration

MANILA, Philippines —  As the end of the voters’ registration nears on Sept. 30, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) sees a surge in the number of aspiring voters filing their applications.

Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco yesterday advised aspiring voters not to wait for the last day to avoid the long queue of applicants.

“We expect a surge of new voters and deactivated voters to apply in the last two weeks of voter registration. May we request the people not to wait for the last day of registration on Sept. 30,” he said.

Laudiangco stressed that the Commission is no longer extending the voter registration deadline for locals and Filipinos abroad because the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) among those running in the May 2025 election is set to start on Oct. 1.

The Comelec has processed a total of 6,250,050 applications since the resumption of voter registration in February.

Of the total figure, Laudiangco said more than 2.6 million are new voters.

He also said deactivated voters who want to reactivate their status may do so online through Comelec’s official website until Sept. 25. They may also visit the nearest Comelec office to file their application.

Based on the poll body’s data, around 600,000 have sought reactivation out of the more than 5 million deactivated voters.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are also reminded to register and participate in the forthcoming national and local elections.

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac issued the reminder to the millions of OFWs while reiterating Comelec’s advisory that the voter registration is set to end on Sept. 30.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Arnell Ignacio also encouraged OFWs to visit the registration centers near them and participate in the 2025 polls.

Laudiangco said about 15 million Filipinos are living abroad, but only 1.6 million have registered so far.

“We will now be using internet voting (for the OFWs). One must be a registered voter to participate in the polls,” he said.

The poll body is also firm on the voter registration deadline as Sept. 30 is “already a hard deadline.”

Digital campaigns

The Comelec yesterday issued the guidelines governing digital campaigns for the upcoming 2025 polls.

Under the new guidelines, the use of “false amplifiers” such as fake accounts, bots, astroturf groups filled with fake users meant to promote or criticize a candidate is prohibited.

The use of hyperactive users, the creation of deepfakes, soft fakes and cheap fakes, as well as the use of fake and unregistered social media accounts are also prohibited.

The Commission also prohibited the dissemination of fake news and the use of content produced through artificial intelligence without compliance with transparency and disclosure requirements.

The Task Force KKK sa Halalan shall monitor registered and unregistered social media as well as online accounts or websites endorsing or campaigning against a candidate.

It will also investigate reported misuse of social media, AI and internet technologies in the digital election campaign.

Meanwhile, security preparations for the 2025 polls, which will kick off with the filing of COCs next month, are underway, with the Philippine National Police starting to identify potential hotspots. – Sheila Crisostomo, Emmanuel Tupas