Comelec eyes annulment of voters list ahead of 2028 polls

FILE: FULFILLING THEIR CIVIC DUTY. Voters fill up their ballots inside a polling precinct at the Sto. Niño Elementary School in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday (Oct. 30, 2023). Bagong Silang or Barangay 176 is the country’s largest barangay, with 91,500 registered voters and 174 clustered precincts. (PNA photo by Ben Briones)

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is pushing for the annulment of the voter’s list in preparation for the next presidential elections in 2028.

In a press briefing on Monday, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said this would ensure a clean list of voters as it would eliminate the perennial problem of voters unable to find either their names on the official list or their voting precinct.

Garcia said they are planning to have the list annulled in 2026.

“We will have the registration period for one month,” he said.

Garcia, meanwhile, said the holding of Monday’s polls remained generally peaceful, despite reports of election-related incidents.

“Although there were some incidents of violence that happened especially in the Bangsamoro. In the whole of Abra, no untoward incidents,” he said.

“In the red category areas of 365, no disturbances occurred. Except Nunungan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur. They are not red areas so we are surprised. Overall, they did not stop the people from voting,” Garcia added.

He noted that they expect polling centers to start the canvassing of votes at 8 p.m.

“(We expect) proclamation of winners to begin at 10 p.m.,” he said.

Voter turnout

Garcia said they cannot yet say the exact number of voters who participated in Monday’s polls.

“In our initial view, we may reach the percentage we predicted. Even if it only ranges from 70 to 75 percent, we had a successful election,” he said.

He said the decision to exercise the right to suffrage solely depends on the people.

“It’s a call of the people if they will avail of it or not. Like what I saw earlier, everyone was very interested in voting. Went to the precincts, although the queue was long. Understandably, our compatriots queued up,” Garcia added.