国际英语新闻:Thousands of Filipinos beat last day of voters' registration for 2016 polls

MANILA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Filipinos trooped Saturday to different local offices or designated places of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to beat the last day of the voters' registration for the 2016 synchronized national and local elections.

The different voters' registration sites were open until 9:00 p.m. to accommodate the last minute registrants.

Aside from the regular Comelec offices nationwide, the poll body also set up registration sites inside the malls and town plazas, among others.

The Comelec is expecting up to 54 million registered voters for the automated elections in May 2016.

About 18,000 positions from president down to city and municipal councilors have to be filled up in the upcoming polls.

Earlier this month, those interested to run in the national and local posts filed their certificates of candidacy before the Comelec.

For the national posts alone, a total of 130 Filipinos filed their certificates of candidacy for president, 19 for vice president, and 172 for senator.

The poll body has until Dec. 10 to declare the qualified candidates.