ONLY FOR WOMEN. Comelec Baguio will recognize women clients by giving tokens to those who will register or avail of services on March 10. John Paul Martin, city election officer, said women voters comprise 55 percent of Baguio’s 144,304 registered voters. (Screenshot of Comelec promotional material)
BAGUIO CITY – Women make up 55 percent of the total voting population here, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Lawyer John Paul Martin, city election officer, said on Saturday there are 144,304 registered voters in Baguio—79,883 of them women.
Comelec Baguio received 1,501 applications for registration January 1 to March 6, with 911 of them or 60.77 percent women.
Data also showed that out of 2,490 voters who availed of different services from January to date, 1,484 were women, or 59.59 percent of the total clientele.
Among the services availed were correction of entries, reactivation, reactivation with correction, registration, transfer to other areas, transfer from other city or municipality, transfer with correction of entries, transfer with reactivation, and transfer with reactivation and correction of entries.
In celebration of Women's Month, Martin said they will recognize women clients on March 10 by giving tokens to those who will register or avail of services.
The first 15 women clients will get succulent plants or face shields until supplies last.
"We also have a photo booth. We will take the photos of those who will receive the tokens," Martin said.
Comelec Baguio chose March 9 to 11 as special days for women clients. Its working days are Tuesdays to Saturdays while the international Women's Day (March 8) falls on a Monday.
"We have more women voters than men but the disparity lies with women in politics that is why we encourage more women to run and serve," Martin said, assuring that Comelec-Baguio is Gender and Development-compliant.
Of 17,969 elected officials in the 2013 polls, only 3,580 were women, Comelec data showed. The Cordillera Administrative Region also has the least number of female voters as of the 2017 records.
Comelec Baguio continues to receive applications for new registrants. It hopes to reach 40,000 eligible residents until the last day on September 30, including those who are deactivated due to successive non-participation in the voting process and those who have reached the voting age of 18. (PNA)
