SAN FERNANDO, Bukidnon. – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday ordered field officials across the country to intensify satellite voter registration activities, especially in Indigenous People (IP) areas and other far-flung barangays, to enlist more Filipinos and enable them to vote in the May 2025 midterm polls.
Speaking during the IP Satellite Registration activity before the Tigwahanon tribe in Sitio Kalinawan, Barangay Kibongcog here, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they have given instructions to field personnel to reach out to more members of the vulnerable sectors, particularly the IP communities.
“Our presence here is a message to all Comelec officials in the field. Voter registration activities must be brought to the far-flung areas of the country,” said Garcia, stressing: “We should no longer wait for these (IP) communities to go down to the lowlands just to be able to register.”
The poll chief said reaching out to IP communities will further encourage its members to get registered and cast their votes since they will no longer need to go down from the highlands and spend for their transportation.
To note, there are an estimated 17 million members of the IP communities in the Philippines.
“Our general instruction is always for inclusiveness. If we want it inclusive, we must avoid excluding anybody,” he said.
“Many of them are also ashamed when they have to be assisted during registration. But if they are within their community when getting registered, they are at ease and can feel the concern of the Comelec for them,” added Garcia.
Aside from IP communities, he said they also want to reach out to as many members of the vulnerable sectors, including persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens (SC), and heavily pregnant voters.
“We want to bring our satellite registration to as many parts of the country as possible, even in areas where they aren’t brought before,” said Garcia.
During yesterday’s event, the Comelec contingent, led by Garcia and Commissioner Nelson Celis, was welcomed by a Bangkakawan tribal dance upon reaching the remote community in the mountains.
Afterward, the Comelec began registering residents totaling about 70 voter registrants, including new voters, transferees, and reactivation.
Meanwhile, based on the latest tally by the Comelec, there are already 1,424,961 applications filed nationwide as of March 8 about the voter registration activities of the poll body.
The Comelec earlier said that about three million are projected to apply to become registered voters during the voter registration period, which started on February 12 and end on September 30, 2024.
