TACLOBAN CITY– Leyte congressman and House Speaker Martin Romualdez is calling on the youth across the country to exercise their right to register and vote in the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.
Romualdez emphasizes the importance of youth participation in shaping the nation’s future by electing officials suited for both local and national positions.
“This is a crucial opportunity for our youth to make their voices heard,” Romualdez said in a statement.
“The youth are the backbone of our nation’s future. Their active engagement in the upcoming elections is vital to ensure that their concerns and aspirations are addressed by our leaders,” he added.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) began accepting new registrations and transfer requests on February 12, continuing until September of this year.
The poll body has facilitated registrations not only in its offices but also in satellite offices, malls, plazas, churches, and other special registration areas.
Despite an increase in the youth demographic reaching voting age, the number of registrants and actual youth voters has not seen a proportional rise, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
To address this gap, Romualdez plans to spearhead voter registration awareness campaigns targeting schools and youth organizations.
The aim is to educate the youth about the advantages and significance of voting during elections.
In the upcoming elections, approximately three million Filipinos will cast their votes for the first time.
During last year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, 91 million Filipinos participated across 201,000 clustered precincts and 37,000 voting centers.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
