MANILA. On the final day of voter registration for the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections, residents of Cebu City queued at Robinsons Galleria Cebu on May 18, 2026. Photo by Juan Carlo de Vela.
Over 5.1 Million Applications Received
More than 5.1 million Filipinos have applied to become registered voters ahead of Monday’s (May 18, 2026) deadline for the voter registration period for the November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). According to the latest data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), a total of 5,142,336 applications for voter registration have been received across all regions from October 20 to May 16.
Regional Breakdown
Calabarzon recorded the highest number of applicants with 838,520 individuals. Other regions with significant registrations include Central Luzon (574,223), the National Capital Region (562,879), and the Bicol Region (302,789). Meanwhile, the Register Anywhere/Anytime Program accounted for 11,394 applicants.
In a phone interview, Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco noted that thousands of applicants visited Offices of Election Officers (OEOs) or satellite registration sites on the final day. “There were still a lot of people who came even though our registration reopened on October 20, 2025, or seven months ago,” he said.
Laudiangco confirmed that no untoward incidents were recorded during the final day. “Even though there were so many people, the queues remain orderly, there was no chaos, and the situation was peaceful, although the lines were indeed long,” he added. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
