These celebs recently registered to vote and they are urging their fans to do so, too
More showbiz personalities have stepped up and went out of their usual busy lives to register or reactivate their voters status.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) recently extended its voter registration for three more weeks, from Oct. 11 to 30. The move came following a clamor for the commission to extend its voter registration deadline as the strict community quarantines hampered the operations and registration period of the commission for over five months.
A few weeks leading to the initial Sept. 30 deadline, people are seen lining up at Comelec offices and registration sites, with last-minute registrants queuing as early as midnight to ensure they’ll be given a slot. Even some celebrities like Maris Racal and Barbie Forteza had to line up so they could register to vote.
Check out these celebrities who took the first step to make their voice be heard in the 2022 elections, and become part of over 62 million registered voters in the Philippines.
Bea Alonzo
The new Kapuso actress, who was recently in the US for a weeks-long vacation, recently posted a photo of her filling out what looks like Comelec forms.
Bea captioned the photo: “Doing my part and reactivating my registration record for me to be able to practice my right to vote.”
She also asked her followers, “Nakapag-register ka na ba?”
Bea didn't say when was the last time she voted but for the next election, she will definitely be able to.
Coco Martin and Julia Montes
Julia Montes recently posted a short clip of her and Coco Martin in Comelec’s voter registration site in a mall.
Both Montes and Martin were wearing face masks and face shields as they went through the registration process—from lining up to having their biometrics and photos taken.
Montes captioned her post with a quote from author Roald Dahl, “Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.”
Through her hashtags, Montes urged her followers to register to vote: #magparehistrona, #magparehistroka and #botopilipinas.
Maris Racal
Actress Maris Racal posted on TikTok and Instagram what transpired in her attempt to register so she can vote in the 2022 elections.
In her video, Maris said she queued starting at 2:30 a.m. and also showed that people line up early to get a slot and register. After several hours of waiting, she said she was the 24th in the queue. However, she learned that she initially went was her wrong district. And when she arrived at her correct district, there were no slots available for her on that day.
But she did not give up and lined up in her right district the next day at 2:30 a.m. She was able to register and urged her followers to do so, too. “Sa lahat ng gustong magpa-rehistro, maaga dapat kayong dumating. Mayroon pa tayong few days left so magpa-rehistro na kayo, guys,” she said.
Maris earlier tweeted that she hopes the voter registration will be extended “kasi ang hirap ng 300 slots lang per day tapos four days a week lang dito. Please extend voter’s registration!”
Barbie Forteza
Kapuso actress Barbie Forteza is now a registered voter and she is one of the many Filipinos who went to Comelec satellite registration sites before sunrise just to ensure a spot in the registration slots.
Barbie posted her photos and a video on Instagram of what she went through to register.
“Nagsimulang pumila ng 4 a.m. at ngayon ay rehistrado na ako!” Barbie said in the caption.
In one of the photos, she is seen sitting on a curb as she waited in line with other people waiting for the mall to open where the registration site is.
She urged her followers, “Kayo rin, pwede pa kayo humabol sa pagpaparehistro para makaboto!”
Erik Santos
Singer Erik Santos posted on Instagram photos of his voter registration experience recently.
In his photos, he is seen affixing his thumbmark on the forms, smiling at the camera for his Voter’s ID photo, and posing in front of the Comelec office in Quezon City after he finished his registration.
“Sa 2022, may karapatan tayo maging choosy for our beloved country. Kaya magparehistro na,” he said in the caption, where he used the hasthag #BobotoAkoSa2022.
Barbie Imperial
Kapamilya actress Barbie Imperial recently registered to vote and she shared it to her over six million followers on Instagram.
She simply posted a photo showing her inked thumb as proof that she already registered to vote for the 2022 elections.
“Magandang umaga Pilipinas. Nagparehistro na ba kayo?” the 23-year-old actress captioned her post. She also used the hashtag #BobotoAkoSa2022.
Miles Ocampo
Actress Miles Ocampo is a first time registrant and voter. She posted a clip on Instagram the step-by-step process she went through to be able to register—from filling out the forms to the biometric collection.
“If you haven’t yet, please do register to vote,” she encouraged her followers.
“It may be just a vote but your vote is your voice, and it matters. I know how frustrating what’s happening right now and it seems that we can’t do anything. Register to vote. Your vote is a small step that can lead to big changes,” Miles said and added, “Karapatan at responsibilidad nating bumoto.”
Exercise your right to vote. Register now. Go to irehistro.comelec.gov.ph for more information.