The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has reported a 3.64 percent rise in registered voters across the MIMAROPA region for the upcoming May 2025 elections.
Based on COMELEC data presented at the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, there are currently 2,064,160 registered voters, an increase from the 1,991,599 eligible voters in the 2022 elections.
Palawan has the largest voter population in the region with 789,575 registered voters, followed by Oriental Mindoro with 572,690, Occidental Mindoro with 323,802, Romblon with 212,364, and Marinduque with 165,729.
COMELEC Calapan City Election Officer Suminigay P. Mirindato noted that these figures were confirmed during an Election Registration Board Hearing held on October 14.
COMELEC attributes the rise in MIMAROPA’s registered voters to successful satellite registration initiatives throughout the region.
From February to September 2024, COMELEC offices in the five MIMAROPA provinces conducted mobile registration events in remote barangays, schools, and malls, making registration more accessible to residents. In Calapan City alone, these efforts led to over 11,000 newly registered voters.
Mirindato highlighted that, alongside the satellite registration drive, COMELEC intensified its voter education campaign to encourage participation in the electoral process further.
Also, COMELEC disclosed that during the candidate filing period from October 1 to 8, approximately 2,074 certificates of candidacy were submitted in MIMAROPA. In this group, one district representative from Oriental Mindoro and several local officials, including eight mayors and eight vice mayors from Palawan, Romblon, and Occidental Mindoro, are running unopposed.
The mid-term polls’ campaign period for local candidates will be from March 28 to May 10, 2025. Election day is set for May 12. (PJF/PIA MIMAROPA-Romblon)
