By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod City summoned 22 voter registrants during the Election Registration Board’s (ERB) initial hearing on Monday, June 1.

City Election Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said the 22 applicants provided inconsistent statements and declarations in their documents.

Of the number, only 10 appeared at the hearing on Monday.

The local poll body conducted the ERB hearing for registrations filed from April to May 2026 for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) set for November 2.

Meanwhile, Trinio-Caña said 42 voter registration applications from Barangay 9 are also facing opposition.

She said the complaint was filed by Marites Ramos, a resident of Barangay 9, who questioned the applications, alleging that they were not residents of the village.

She said that of the 42 applicants, only 16 attended the hearing.

Trinio-Caña said a resolution from the hearing will be issued next week.

Comelec-Bacolod will evaluate a total of 8,685 applicants until Friday, June 5.

The ERB hearing plays a vital role in ensuring that all applications for registration, reactivation, transfer, and correction of entries are thoroughly reviewed and validated in accordance with existing election laws, thereby upholding the integrity of the voters’ list, Trinio-Caña said.

Moreover, she said that they will also deactivate voters who failed to cast votes in two consecutive polls.

Trinio-Caña said the process is part of the cleansing of its database, including voters who have died as certified by the local civil registrar; voters who transferred to another district or municipality; and double registration.

She added that they will also prepare the lists of precincts for the BSKE elections./MAP, WDJ