More than 5.4 million Filipinos nationwide registered for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) as voter registration officially closed on Monday, May 18, according to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

Data from the COMELEC Election and Barangay Affairs Department (EBAD) showed that female registrants outnumbered males, with over 2.8 million women registering compared to around 2.6 million men.

Among all regions, Region IV-A or CALABARZON recorded the highest number of registrants with more than 887,000, followed by Region III with 613,000, the National Capital Region with 598,000, Region V with 322,000, and Region VII with 316,000.

Meanwhile, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) posted the lowest number of registrants with just over 75,000.

COMELEC Chairman George Garcia apologized to applicants who failed to make it before the registration cutoff on the final day, citing the large influx of voters in registration centers nationwide.

Garcia also encouraged the public to register earlier during future registration periods and avoid waiting until the last day to prevent inconvenience and long queues.