By Rick P. Quiambao
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga (PIA) — The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Central Luzon announced that the region has 7,733,454 registered voters eligible to participate in the 2025 midterm elections.
During the 23rd episode of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas of the Philippine Information Agency, COMELEC Regional Election Attorney Numer Lobo reported that Bulacan leads the list of Central Luzon provinces with the highest number of registered voters, totaling 2,183,281, following the nationwide voter registration for the 2025 elections, which concluded on September 30.
Pampanga ranks second with 1,682,684 registered voters, followed by Nueva Ecija with 1,625,351.
Tarlac and Bataan take the fourth and fifth spots with 940,701 and 588,197 voters, respectively.
Meanwhile, Zambales and Aurora have the lowest number of registered voters, with 554,981 and 158,259 voters, respectively.
Lobo further revealed that, following the October 1 to 8 filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs), Central Luzon now has a total of 3,564 aspirants for various positions, including governor, vice governor, House of Representatives member, sangguniang panlalawigan member, city/municipal mayor and vice mayor, and sangguniang panlungsod or sangguniang bayan member.
“Remember, there is a difference between aspirants and candidates. Everyone who files a COC, from governor down the line, is considered an aspirant at this time. They will officially become candidates once the campaign period begins. For national positions, this starts on February 11, 2025, while the local campaign period starts on March 28, 2025,” he explained.
Nueva Ecija leads with the most aspirants at 832, followed by Bulacan with 731, Pampanga with 598, Tarlac with 565, Zambales with 392, Bataan with 243, and Aurora with 185. (CLJD/RPQ, PIA Region 3-Pampanga)
