Voter registration for the midterm elections in 2025 will resume on Feb. 12.
Coinciding with the first Pambansang Araw ng mga Botanteng Pilipino, Baguio City Election Officer John Paul Martin said the Commission on Elections en banc has allowed four forms for the continuing voter registration program: the regular registration, off-site registration, special registration, and the register anywhere – a project introduced only this year.
Accepted transactions are new registration, transfer of registration, correction of entry, and reactivation of registration.
The regular registration is conducted at the Comelec offices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, Monday through Saturday.
The off-site registration is a scheduled registration conducted in schools, town halls, malls and other establishments.
The special registration is also a scheduled registration catering only to select sectors such as differently-abled persons, senior citizens, and persons deprived of liberty.
The register anywhere is a new program of the Comelec where a voter who may be residing outside his/her domicile but who intends to vote at his place of his/her residence may register at select Comelec offices. Records of the registrant will be transmitted online to the place of registration, Martin said.
Baguio is one of the pilot areas for the Register Anywhere Program (RAP). On Feb. 23, a RAP will be conducted for the Comelec Baguio and Benguet offices at the Malcolm Square from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Feb. 19, Comelec-Baguio will open an off-site registration center at the University of the Cordilleras Theater.
A Filipino who is at least 18 years old on May 12, 2025, a resident of the Philippines for at least one year and in the place wherein he/she plans to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the 2025 election, and not otherwise disqualified by law, can register as a voter.
As part of the Pambansang Araw ng mga Botanteng Pilipino, Martin said Comelec offices nationwide will be issuing voter certificates for free.
RAP will end on Aug. 31, while the regular registration will end on Sept. 30.
To drum up participation in the election process, Comelec will be holding voter education campaigns simultaneous with the special registration that it will schedule and will also be participating in the float parade of the Panagbenga on Feb. 25. – Rimaliza A. Opiña
