EARLY REGISTRANTS. A staff of the Commission on Elections-Iloilo City helps an elderly man affix his thumbmark on the registration form at the start of the poll enlistment on Monday (Feb. 12, 2024). Comelec-Iloilo City Assistant Officer II Jonathan Sayno said they catered to 236 applicants. (Photo courtesy of Comelec – Iloilo City)
ILOILO CITY – Senior citizens were among the first in line here as voters’ registration for next year's midterm elections started on Monday.
In an interview on Tuesday, Comelec-Iloilo City Assistant Officer II Jonathan Sayno said they catered to 236 applicants during the first day, 47 of whom were elderly.
“Mostly are senior citizens who are 90 or 80 years old. Their intention is not really to cast votes but to avail of benefits from the city government provided under the Ilonggo Centenarian Ordinance,” he said.
Under the ordinance, senior citizens are eligible to receive PHP10,000 and PHP20,000 once they reach the age of 80 years and 90 years old, respectively.
One of the requirements to avail of the incentive is for them to be a registered voter of Iloilo City.
Meanwhile, Sayno said the Register Anywhere Program (RAP) is already available at their office on the second floor of the Angeles Arcade in De Leon-Mabini Streets in the city proper.
“It goes together with our regular registration. In the meantime, we accept registrants here at our Comelec office while we are waiting for the final schedule of our satellite registration targeting big universities, malls, and barangays,” he said.
Seven of those who registered on Monday availed of the RAP.
Sayno emphasized that the registration until Sept. 30 this year is only for regular voters.
Sangguniang Kabataan voters are not included because it will not be an SK election.
Those who cast votes in the October 2023 SK elections and would turn 18 on or before the May 12, 2025 midterm polls need not register because Comelec will automatically migrate their records to the database of regular voters.
Sayno said they target to register between 8,000 and 12,000 individuals.
Among the expected registrants are those who failed to register during the previous village election and transferees.
Iloilo City has 330,470 qualified voters as of the 2022 regular elections. (PNA)
