Comelec: Naga registered voters total to 120,787

By Jason B. Neola

The Commission on Elections in Naga City has registered 3,306 new voters during the conduct of its voters registration that forms part of its preparation for the barangay and SK elections on December 5 this year.

The figure has brought the total number of voters in the city to 120,787 in a span of 18 days from July 4 to 23 (except Sundays) when the registrations of voters were held.

Lawyer Maico Julia Jr., Comelec Naga election officer, reported that his office was registering an average of 200 applicants every day for the entire duration of the activity.

He said that the turnout of registrants allowed his office to achieve the target percentage of electorates needed to participate in the elections for barangay and SK officials.

Julia said a hearing to be participated in by the members of the Election Registration Board (ERB) and stakeholders has been set on Aug. 1 to give chance to oppositors, if there is any, to air their plaints against the registration of an applicant to become a registered voter. If there’s none, Julia said, the ERB will deliberate on the final approval of the applicants’ registration into the national agency’s list of new voters.

As to whether or not the Dec. 5 elections will push through, the Comelec official said that they do not have an idea yet on the matter even as he admitted that his office, as of the moment, is on wait-and-see situation. “But we have to ensure that everything is ready when the election day comes,” he said.

VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICANTS queue to file their papers for processing during the conduct of the voter’s registration at the office of the Commission on Elections in Naga City. (JBN/REY BAYLON, CEPPIO)