Comelec: Nearly 1,000 register as BARMM resumes voter list-up

Nearly 1,000 individuals registered to vote on the first day of the resumption of voter registration in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) and the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

Data shared with reporters showed that a total of 969 applicants registered on February 9, 2026. Of this number, 494 were female and 475 were male.

Maguindanao del Norte recorded the highest number of registrants with 349, followed by the Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato with 208; Lanao del Sur with 148; Maguindanao del Sur with 134; and Tawi-Tawi with 76.

Basilan recorded the lowest number of registrants at 54.

Earlier, the Comelec announced that voter registration in the autonomous region would resume on Monday, February 9. The poll body initially said the registration period would run until March 30 but later extended it to March 31.

Nearly 1.9 million applicants nationwide

In a related development, the Comelec said the total number of applicants nationwide for the 2026 BSKE has reached 1,877,784—exceeding its initial target of 1.4 million new voters.

Region IV-A (Calabarzon) recorded the highest number of applicants with 350,160, followed by Region III (Central Luzon) with 223,646, and the National Capital Region (NCR) with 210,165.

A total of 2,591 registrants applied through the Special Register Anywhere Program (SRAP) site at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila.

Nationwide voter registration for the 2026 BSKE resumed on October 20, 2025, and will run until May 18, 2026.

Applicants may register from Monday to Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at satellite registration sites or at their respective Offices of the Election Officer (OEO), the Comelec said.

The registration period covers the following applications:

• new registration
• transfer of records
• change of name or civil status
• correction of entries
• reactivation of registration records
• inclusion of registration records
• reinstatement of names in the list of voters

The Comelec earlier said it was targeting 1.4 million new voters during the months-long registration period for the 2026 BSKE.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in August signed into law a measure postponing the BSKE from December 1, 2025, to the first Monday of November 2026, and every four years thereafter.—MCG, GMA Integrated News