Comelec taps 166 malls nationwide for voter registration starting Feb 12

PHOTO FROM COMELEC OFFICIAL FB PAGE

MANILA, Philippines: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) tapped an initial 166 shopping malls nationwide for its “register anywhere project (RAP)” when voter registration resumes on Monday, Feb. 12, 2024.

Chairman George Erwin Garcia disclosed this on Thursday after the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Comelec and the three biggest mall operators in the country — SM Supermalls, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and Robinsons Malls.

Garcia said that all three have committed to use all their malls nationwide for the RAP, adding that there were others, particularly in Mindanao that have also signified their intention to join as registration centers.

Through the program, a qualified registrant will be allowed to file his/her application wherever there is a designated RAP registration site regardless of his/her place of residence.

The RAP will start on February 12 and end on September 30, along with the regular registration at the Comelec offices in municipalities and cities.

Registration will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. including Saturdays and holidays, except when declared otherwise by the Comelec.

Garcia said that employee IDs will no longer be accepted as valid ID for purposes of registration, saying that only government issued identification cards and barangay ID with picture and signature would be accepted.

A Filipino who is at least 18 years of age on election day on May 12, 2025, a resident of the Philippines for at least 1 year and in the place wherein he /she proposes to vote for at least 6 months immediately preceding the 2025 elections, and not otherwise disqualified by law, can register as a voter.

Comelec expanded the RAP coverage following a highly successful pilot implementation of the project during the voter registration for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).on Oct. 30, 2023.

Garcia said they expected to register some 3 million additional new voters, which will bring the total number to 71 million from 68 million.

The Comelec will be holding two elections in 2025, the mid-term polls in May and the BSKE in December.