The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reported on Tuesday, April 16, a high number of voter registrants in its inaugural two-day Special Register Anywhere Program (SRAP) and satellite registration inside the military camps of Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte and Camp Abubakar in Barira, Maguindanao del Norte.

This activity resulted to a total number of 458 applications received at Camp Darapanan and 244 applications received at Camp Abubakar from April 15 to 16.  

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia considers this a historic feat for the poll body since the area has never been entered in the past, both by civilians or uniformed personnel.

Garcia graced the SRAP and satellite registration activities in Camp Darapanan and Camp Abubakar. They were monitored by Commissioners Aimee Ferolino, Nelson Celis, and Comelec senior officials

"Walang registration na nagaganap dito sa loob...ngayon nasa loob na tayo. Yan yung mga lugar na dati ni sa panaginip hindi natin inaakalang mapupuntahan natin (No voter registration had occurred inside these camps...now we're here. These are the places that we never though we could visit even in our dreams)," he said.

"Nararapat lang na ang serbisyo ay sadyang nilalapit natin...at susubukan natin kahit sa mismong pagboto halos 5,000 ang mga kababayan natin dito sa Darapanan. Kung madadala natin dito yung mga bagong makina pabobotohin natin yung mga kababayan natin then masasabi nila Pilipino sila. Masasabi nila parte sila ng bansang ito (It's only right that we make our services more accessible...we will try even in the aspect of voting, there are almost 5,000 residents here in Darapanan. If we can bring the new machines here and we can make them vote, then they can say they're Filipinos. They can say they're a part of this country)," he added.

Comelec has also concluded a successful, peaceful, and orderly conduct of the plebiscites to create the eight municipalities out of the 63 barangays in North Cotabato in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Out of the 89,594 registered voters of the participating barangays, a total of 72,658 people voted, with 72,358 voters indicating their affirmation to ratify the creation of the eight new municipalities, while a total of 273 voted no. The overall voter turnout was at 81.10 percent.

The poll body expressed gratitude to the qualified constituents inside Camp Darapanan and Camp Abubakar for availing of the SRAP and satellite registration services.

With just five months left in the voter registration period for the 2025 national and local elections, Comelec said that it will continuously reach out to the Filipino community by providing voter registration services through RAP and satellite registration.