The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday that nearly 77,000 applicants are looking to become registered voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The poll body said it has received 76,942 voter registrants in the region from Feb. 9 to March 16.
Of the six provinces in the BARMM, Lanao del Sur has the highest number of applicants, with 20,447.
It is followed by Maguindanao del Norte with 16,514 and Maguindanao del Sur with 11,966.
Basilan has 10,865 applicants, followed by Tawi-Tawi with 9,326 and the Special Geographic Area with 7,824.
The voter registration period in the region began on Feb. 9 and will run until March 31.
Earlier, the poll body said it is expecting about 100,000 BARMM residents to register as voters.
Meanwhile, the Comelec has given three days to those seeking to oppose the accreditation of Regional Parliamentary Political Parties (RPPPs) and Parliamentary Sectoral Organizations (PSOs) from participating in the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.
Comelec Resolution 11205 said opposition may be filed three days after March 20 for RPPPs and three days after March 23 for PSOs.
“A Verified Opposition or Petition to Deny Due Course may be filed within three days from the last day of filing of the Verified Petition for Registration,” the Comelec said.
The RPPPs with at least 5,000 registered BARMM voters may file their applications at the Bangsamoro Registration and Accreditation Committee (BRAC) between March 17 and 20.
As for PSOs, the commission said they may file their applications at the BRAC between March 16 and 23 with the names of their three nominees. (PNA)