ILOILO City – A total of 6,944,161 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Western Visayas on Oct. 30.
But this number could change once the Commission on Elections (Comelec) releases the results of the final cleansing of voters’ list conducted two weeks ago.
As of June 2023, 5,179,738 were registered to vote in the barangay election and 1,764,423 in the SK election, based on the results of the hearing conducted by the Election Registration Boards (ERBs). Of the total number, 333,534 registered voters, including the 90,000 SK voters, are in Iloilo City.
“We have 5,179,738 registered voters for the barangay election in the whole region, though it is not the final number because this was taken from the last ERBS hearing in June. We had the final cleansing two weeks ago so there might be changes as to the exact number,” said Comelec regional director Dennis Ausan.
He, however, added that changes in the figures would be mostly “very minimal” once the data is finalized.
Ausan explained that during the cleansing of the voters’ list, the ERBS checked the double or multiple registration records to see if the registered voters are active or alive, among others.
Here is the breakdown of the 5,179,738 registered voters for the barangay level per province in the region:
* Aklan – 418,170
* Antique – 402,053
* Capiz – 548,276
* Guimaras – 127,194
* Iloilo – 1,669,320
* Negros Occidental – 2,014,725
The breakdown of 1,764,423 registered voters for SK level per province:
* Aklan – 149,274
* Antique – 146,636
* Capiz – 146,636
* Guimaras – 199,254
* Iloilo – 564,556
* Negros Occidental – 660,709
Expected BSKE aspirants in Iloilo City
On the other hand, Comelec-Iloilo City expects at least 8,000 aspirants to file their certificates of candidacy (COC) for various posts in connection with the upcoming BSKE.
Those interested to run for the election can already secure the COC from the Comelec office in preparation for the filing of COCs on Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, said Election Officer II Jonathan Sayno.
He said should one slate has 16 candidates and at least two or more groups will join the poll, they then expect the number of candidates in the city’s 180 barangays to be between 7,000 to 8,000.
A barangay council is composed of one barangay captain and seven councilors, while the SK has one chairperson and seven councilors.
Fifty-four barangay captains of the city’s 180 barangays are on their last terms, based on the data provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meanwhile, the venue for the filing of COC in Iloilo City will be held at the Robinsons Mall Cinema 5 and 6, Sayno said. The Comelec office at the Iloilo terminal market is under rehabilitation.
He was also hopeful that 80 to 85 percent of the 333,534 registered voters, including the 90,000 SK voters, would cast their votes since barangay elections are considered a “family matter.”
Who are qualified to run for barangay and SK positions?
According to Ausan, five basic qualifications are the most important requirements for aspiring candidates.
These are the following:
* must be a Filipino citizen
* a resident of the barangay where they intend to run for at least one year before election day
* must be a registered voter
* able to read and write
* aged 18 and above on barangay election and 18 to 24 years old for SK
For the SK chairperson, the candidate must be 18 years old on the day of the election but not more than 24 years old by the day of the election.
“Dapat indi sila maglapaw sa 24. Magsiling ka 24, dapat indi 24 and one day old kundi 24 years old ka gid that day,” emphasized Ausan.
There are a total of 4,051 barangays in the region: Aklan – 327, Antique – 590, Capiz – 473, Guimaras – 98, Iloilo – 1,907, and Negros Occidental – 662.
As to the voting centers in the region, there are a total of 3,573: Aklan – 330, Antique – 521, Guimaras – 90, Iloilo – 1,423, and Negros Occidental – 745.
Earlier, Ausan said those qualified to vote at the barangay level are those 18 years old and above while at the SK level are those 15 years old to 30 years old.
So if a voter is 18 to 30 years old, he or she is qualified to vote both for barangay and SK elections.
But, if one is only 15 to 17 years old, he or she can only vote for the SK election. (With a report from Philippines News Agency)/PN
