By CESAR JOLITO III

Voter registration in the Negros Island Region (NIR) has experienced a temporary slowdown, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed, citing flooding in several areas in the past weeks.

Comelec-NIR Director Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano confirmed that the recent flooding in Bacolod City and other areas temporarily affected registration after schools and offices were forced to close.

“Medyo apektado talaga. Many schools and offices were closed, although our equipment was not damaged,” Castillano said.

He added that earlier typhoons had caused damage to their Bacolod office, which sits in a low-lying, flood-prone location.

Castillano said their operations were affected last week after the office had to close for three days due to the regional sports fest.

“Because of that, registration numbers went down. But we expect to recover this December as long as there are no more disruptions,” the official said.

He expressed hope that the city government could provide Comelec with a new office site less vulnerable to flooding, stressing the need to protect sensitive equipment and voter registration forms.

Comelec-NIR consolidated data from October 20 to November 29 showed a total voter registration turnout of 33,755.

Negros Occidental had the highest number of new voters with 22,913, followed by Negros Oriental with 10,270 and Siquijor with 572.

Castillano explained that they have been prioritizing outreach in schools and barangays, focusing on senior high school and college students.

He noted that registration turnout tends to dip on Saturdays, prompting Comelec teams to bring services directly to barangays on weekends.

By next year, Comelec will also roll out voter education programs in schools alongside registration drives./CJ, WDJ