Batanes suspends voter registration due to Typhoon Julian — Comelec

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday suspended the voter registration in Batanes due to the inclement weather caused by Typhoon Julian.

“Sa Batanes po, nabigyan na tayo ng information na yung mga tauhan natin sa Batanes ay nagdeklara na na hindi tuloy ang registration ngayong araw na ito,” Comelec Chaiperson George Erwin Garcia told reporters.

(We've already received information that our personnel in Batanes have declared that they will not proceed with the registration today.)

“At tama lang po íyan sapagkat mas unahin natin muna yung buhay at kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan natin. At syempre yun ang mga tauhan din ng Komisyon ng Eleksyon,” he said.

(It's only right, since we prioritize the lives and safety of our people. And of course, that includes our Comelec personnel.)

The period for voter registration for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) ends on Monday, September 30. It started on February 12.

Earlier in the day, the poll body said it is giving discretion to its local Comelec offices in Northern Luzon to decide whether to suspend voter registration activities and hold a one-day special registration in typhoon-stricken areas.

“More or less, ‘yung probinsya lang po muna ng Batanes ang nagsabi na isu-suspend. Yung ibang mga probinsya kahit yung Cagayan, Abra at Benguet at yung mga nasa iba pang Northern Luzon provinces ay nagsabi naman na itutuloy nila,” he added.

(More or less, only the province of Batanes has announced a suspension. Meanwhile, other provinces such as Cagayan, Abra, and Benguet, as well as those in other Northern Luzon provinces, said they will proceed as planned.)

As of September 17, the Comelec said it has processed around 6,442,112 registrations for the 2025 NLE. Of the figures, more than 3 million were new voters while around 400,000 were reactivated voters. 

Meanwhile, the poll chief said it is “all systems go” for the Comelec for the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) from October 1 to October 8, 2024.

“All systems go ang Comelec sa unang araw ng filing ng certificates of candidacy,” said Garcia.

(It's all systems go for the Comelec on the first day of filing certificates of candidacy.)

“Inuulit ko, makitingnan po ng lahat, pati ng mga applicants o yung mga magfa-file ng candidacy sa mga political parties, nasa Comelec website po ang lahat ng venues sa buong Pilipinas kung saan gagawin ang mga filing na certificates of candidacy,” he added.

(I’m reiterating, everyone should take note, including applicants or those who will file their candidacies under political parties, that the Comelec website has a list of all venues across the Philippines where the filing of certificates of candidacy will take place.) —RF, GMA Integrated News