Senate annuls original voters list in Mindanao
Poll panel told to conduct a re-registration
Manila: The Senate yesterday approved a measure to annul the voters list in the Mindanao autonomous region after questions were raised over the credibility of the list.
A statement issued by the chamber said that the Senate passed a joint resolution annulling the current book of voters of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and directing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct a new registration of voters in the region.
Joint resolution No. 17 was co-authored by Senate Finance Committee chairman Franklin M. Drilon, Senate People's Participation chairman Aquilino Pimentel III as well as 17 other senators.
Under the resolution, which was certified as an urgent measure by President Benigno Aquino, the Comelec is authorised to suspend the registration of voters in non-ARMM areas until the end of July to fast-track the re-listing of voters in the ARMM. It is also allowed to redeploy its personnel and necessary equipment for the registration of voters in the ARMM.
Anomalies
Earlier, questions were raised over the ARMM voters list and it was charged that it was ridden with registration anomalies.
The resolution had cited an overstated 5.46 per cent population growth rate in the region between 2000 and 2007 in contrast to the country's population which grew by only 1.89 per cent.
The resolution said: "The anomaly in the ARMM has national ramifications because these fictitious and double, sometimes triple, registrants constitute the so-called command votes wielded by political warlords that could decide the winner not only in local but also national elections."
