In negros occidental: Huge turnout of voter-registrants unexpected

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — There was a huge turnout of new voters in Negros Occidental during the 10-day registration (July 22 to 31) of voters for the synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on October 28.

This was disclosed Thursday by provincial elections supervisor Jessie Suarez, who also said he only expected an increase of five to 10 percent in the new voters’ registration.

Suarez said legislative action should be taken to address the huge turnout of voters. One possible solution is for Congress to pass a law that would reschedule the date of barangay elections at least a year after the national elections, he added.

Based on the Comelec-provincial records, 45,806 regular voters had registered for the barangay election, while 92,736 youths have registered for the SK election.

Aside from the new registrants, there were 2,014 voters who transferred polling precincts within a town or city; 6,987 transferred from one town or city to another; 687 transferred with reactivation, 5,980 reactivated within an LGU, and 1,632 registered with corrections in their status.

In Bacolod City, which is outside the political jurisdiction of Negros Occidental, there were 5,211 more regular voters and 5,165 new voters for SK, according to Comelec records.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said Wednesday that there were 1.3 million new regular voters nationwide and 2.2 million SK registrants, as of July 28. This surprised the poll body, which had expected only 700,000 new voters throughout the 10-day registration period.

Meanwhile, Bacolod City Councilor Caesar Distrito has assailed the Comelec for being “insensitive” in rejecting requests of several groups to extend the voters’ registration period.

The Comelec en banc unanimously ruled that there will be no extension to the registration, which ended July 31, Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday.

Calling the decision as the highest form of insensitivity, Distrito lamented that “the very agency that facilitates electoral process has violated the rights of suffrage of those who braved the heavy rains and heat of the sun just to apply for registration and exercise their right to vote.”

Distrito, chair of the City Council’s committee on laws, ordinances and good government, said he was saddened by the Comelec decision. “(During the) 2010 barangay elections, the registration was held for two months and I can’t understand why you allowed the same to be held for 10 days only,” he added.

Jimenez however said the no-extension decision was reached because the Comelec needs time to complete the full process for registration of all applicants by August 31. (FREEMAN)