CEBU, Philippines - Twenty-one thousand have registered with the Commission on Elections in Region 7 in the first week of voters registration from May 6 - 11, 2014.
Region 7 is composed of four provinces - Cebu, Bohol, Negros and Siquijor.
Based on the Comelec's Statistical Summary Report, 13,000 have registered from Cebu; 5,000 from Negros; 2,000 from Bohol; and 600 from Siquijor.
The numbers could have been higher but Tessie Mercado of Comelec 7 said several failed to bring complete registration requirements.
The nationwide registration will continue until October 31, 2015. The Comelec office is open from Sunday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mercado said first-time voters and applicants for reactivation will have to undergo a biometric scan, a compulsory requirement for those who intend to vote in the 2016 elections.
Biometrics refers to the registrant's picture, fingerprint and signature recorded by a computer during the registration period. The system was designed to help the Comelec purge the final voters' list of multiple registrants that were used by politicians in the past to garner more votes in their favor.
A voter without biometric records shall be removed from the list and will not be allowed to vote in 2016.
The Comelec aims to register 3 million new voters and expects 9.3 million registered voters to have their biometrics data taken. —(FREEMAN)