Teeners comprise majority of new Aklan voters

BY VENUS G. VILLANUEVA (PIA)
KALIBO, Aklan - Most of those who lined up in various Comelec offices in Aklan to register in time for the May 2007 elections were young people.

These young Aklanons, mostly students who just turned 18 or would be turning 18 on or before the May elections, said COMELEC-Aklan OIC Provincial Election Supervisor Lorena Tumbagahan, would be voting for the first time in the national and local elections.

The last day of registration was on December 31, 2006.Tumbagahan noted that as what they had anticipated despite the continuing voters' registration and their sustained advocacy for this activity, most people waited for the last day to register, crowding the COMELEC provincial and municipal offices in the province."COMELEC-Aklan is now in the process of scrutinizing these voter applications.

We have received more than 29,000 applications throughout the province from October to December 2006, but this is not the final figure as some of the applicants are transferees from other towns of the province who might have moved to other areas in Aklan," Tumbagahan said.

"We expect to come out with a definite number after January 12, the end of deliberations by the Election Registration Board (ERB)," she added.

The ERB is composed of the Election Officer, the Local Civil Registrar and the Department of Education.As the election period starts January 14, Tumbagahan said COMELEC-Aklan has already joined a command conference with the Philippine National Police here to talk about memorandum circulars and resolutions for the conduct of the May 2007 elections and the role of the PNP in the conduct of the coming political exercise.

As of August 2006, Aklan has a total of 244,429 registered voters.January 15 is set as the start of the filing of Certificates of Candidacies (COCs) of those intending to run in the May polls. The last day of filing for COCs for the senatorial candidates is on February 15 while the deadline for the local candidates is set on March 29.