COMELEC suspends voter registration and validation from June 25 to July 31, 2012

Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS

Manila

SUSPENSION OF THE SYSTEM OF CONTINUING REGISTRATION OF VOTERS AND VALIDATION OF REGISTRATION RECORDS IN SUCH AREAS AS MAY BE DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSION. x- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - x	BRILLANTES, Sixto S., Jr. SARMIENTO, Rene V. TAGLE, Lucenito N. VELASCO, Armando C. YUSOPH, Elias R. LIM, Christian Robert S.	Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
	Promulgated:  June 8, 2012

RESOLUTION No. 9443

WHEREAS, the Commission on Elections (Commission) pursuant to the Timelines of Activities has scheduled the conduct of the General Registration of Voters in the Provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from July 9 to 18, 2012;

WHEREAS, the Commission adopts a process of registration using the Voter Registration Machines (VRMs) for the demographics and biometrics data capturing that will deployed in the different registration centers in the cities and municipalities in the ARMM areas;

WHEREAS, in order to insure the successful conduct of the general registration of voters, the Commission will utilize its personnel in the Non-ARMM areas and deploy its equipment to augment the personnel and equipment requirements in ARMM areas in order to effect an honest and credible registration of voters and attain its mandate to establish a clean, complete, permanent and updated list of voters in the ARMM region;

WHEREAS, the augmentation of COMELEC Personnel and equipment will be sourced from the Non-ARMM areas that may be deployed in the cities and municipalities in the five (5) provinces of the ARMM;

WHEREAS, in view of the deployment of COMELEC Personnel and equipment, there is a need to suspend the registration of voters and validation of registration records in the affected regions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and in such areas as may be determined by the Commission to pave way for the conduct of the general registration of voters in the ARMM areas;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No. 8189 and other related election laws, the Commission on Elections has RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to suspend the conduct of registration of voters and validation of registration records from June 25, 2012 to July 31, 2012, in the cities and municipalities where the personnel and registration equipment will be deployed in ARMM areas;

RESOLVED further, that in the aforementioned areas all applications for registration, transfer, transfer with reactivation, reactivation, correction/change of entries and reinstatement in the Book of Voters received from April 1, 2012 to June 14, 2012 shall be heard in the next Election Registration Board (ERB) hearing scheduled on August 20, 2012.  Hence, no ERB hearing shall be conducted on July 16, 2012 in the areas concerned;

RESOLVED furthermore, that the resumption of the system of continuing registration of voters and validation of registration records in the said areas shall be set on August 1, 2012;

RESOLVED moreover, that the Election Officers/Acting Election Officers in the cities and municipalities of the affected areas are hereby directed to post notices of suspension of the registration of voters in the bulletin boards of the city/municipal hall and in the Offices of the Election Officers and furnish copy thereof to all political parties and citizen's arm existing in their respective city/municipality.

Let the Deputy Executive Director for Operations and Election and Barangay Affairs Department implement this Resolution.

SO ORDERED.

SIXTO S. BRILLANTES, JR. Chairman
RENE V. SARMIENTO Commissioner		LUCENITO N. TAGLE Commissioner
ARMANDO C. VELASCO Commissioner		ELIAS R. YUSOPH Commissioner
CHRISTIAN ROBERT S. LIM Commissioner