The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bicol has surpassed its voter registration target of 250,000, based on applications received from Oct. 20 to May 18.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Comelec-Bicol Regional Director Maria Juana Valeza said the region recorded 322,695 voter registration applications across its six provinces.

“The turnout was successful. The number of applications that we received is higher compared to our target,” she said.

Among the provinces, Camarines Sur recorded the highest number of processed applications at 102,909, followed by Albay with 74,154, Masbate with 56,383, Sorsogon with 40,970, Camarines Norte with 32,893, and Catanduanes with 15,386.

Valeza said most election offices completed the registration process by 5 p.m. on Monday.

“Except for at least seven election offices that finished after 5 p.m. due to the volume of last-minute registrants. The last day of registration was generally peaceful and orderly,” she added.

The region recorded 113,093 new registrations for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) applicants aged 15 to 17, of which 57,010 were male and 56,083 were female. An additional 416 SK applications were processed due to transfer or correction of entries.

For regular voters aged 18 and above, the region recorded 68,167 new applications —30,463 from females and 37,704 from males. The region also processed 141,019 transfer and correction applications (62,760 for males and 78,259 for females), contributing to the total number of regular voter transactions.

Valeza said almost 40 percent of the 300,000 applicants had their voting records transferred, reactivated, or corrected.

“It shows people’s interest in participating in the electoral process for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections scheduled on Nov. 2,” she said. (PNA)