The Sangguniang Kabataan elections will push through unless amended by Congress, Dumaguete City elections officer Gildu Agoncillo said, adding that a calendar of activities has been issued on the polls set for February 2015.

He said yesterday was the last day of posting the SK computerized voters’ list, with the last day for filing petitions for inclusion of voters on Friday, and for exclusion of voters on November 12.

In Dumaguete, he said the number of SK registered voters has considerably decreased, from 2,359 in July 2013 to 1,881 as of yesterday. After the postponement of the SK elections last year, the cleansing of the voters’ list was implemented, and 1,321 were found to be already 18 years old and above.

During the ten-day special SK registration, only 658 applicants were recorded, and 98 were found to be double registrants, so only 560 new voters were added to the list.

Agoncillo said the number of registered voters in the poblacion area has significantly decreased. Poblacion 1, for instance, only has one registrant, in the person of Eren April Suela, Poblacion 2 has five, Poblacion 3, three registrants, Poblacion 4 with six, and Poblacion 5 with two.

A reduction in the number of registered voters was also noted in 24 barangays of Dumaguete. The six with slight increases in the number of registrants were barangays Talay from 38 to 74, Junob 54 to 84, Cantil-e 76 to 90, Cadawinonan 85 to 104, Bunao, from 20 to 21 and Bajumpandan, 109 to 116.

Among the activities for the SK elections in February 21 are prohibitions in the issuance of appointments, promotions, creation of new positions, giving of salary increases in government agencies, offices or instrumentalities, and raising of funds through dances, lotteries and cockfights.

On February 1-8, the registration of voters will be suspended and validation of registration records for the May 9, 2016 synchronized national, local and ARMM regional elections.

Election period for the SK election is from Jan. 22 to March 2, 2015, or 30 days before the election day, and 15 days after. Filing of certificates of candidacy is Feb. 7-9, and campaign period from Feb. 11-19, he said.

Meanwhile, the city Comelec office validated 8,063 registered voters for the 2016 polls since May 6, 2014. Agoncillo said they have targeted 20,000 more voters for validation in the next 11 months.

He requested voters with no biometrics to go to the Comelec so that they can vote in the 2016 elections. He said 59,875 already have biometrics, and 10,412 have yet to secure it.

As of the third quarter of 2013, Agoncillo said 70,287 have registered, which is less than the 76,024 registrants in October 2013.

But he said he is optimistic the number will increase with one more year to go for the continuing registration.*JG

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