GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) — Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Erwin Garcia shared updates regarding the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections in a recent press conference in General Santos City.
He highlighted the crucial need for voter registration and reactivation, the impact of deactivated voters, and the preparation efforts for the region’s first parliamentary elections.
Garcia revealed that 4.4 million individuals are already registered voters.
Meanwhile, he urged residents of BARMM, especially those who did not vote in the May 2022 elections and last year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, to reactivate their registrations at local COMELEC offices or designated registration sites, including malls.
For overseas voter registration, he encouraged overseas Filipinos to take advantage of internet voting, allowing them to vote via cellphones, iPads, or laptops without visiting embassies or consulates.
“Sa pamamagitan lang ng cellphone, iPad, and laptops, makakaboto na po sila. Napakaganda po na pagkakataon yan na maexercise natin ang ating karapatan,” Garcia noted.
(Now, they can vote through cellphones, iPads, and laptops. That’s a great opportunity for us to exercise our rights.)
The registration deadline for overseas voters is Aug. 30, while domestic voter registration continues until Sept. 30.
About COMELEC’s preparedness, Garcia reassured the public that the preparations for the BARMM elections are being treated with the same standard as other regions.
“Hindi namin tinitreat espesyal case ang Bangsamoro (elections) because unfair yan sa ating mga kababayan sa Mindanao na bakit parang special case lagi,” he clarified.
(We do not treat Bangsamoro elections as a special case because it would be unfair to our fellow citizens in Mindanao.)
On the other hand, he emphasized the necessity of automated elections by 2025 and the importance of extensive voter education.
The election will involve two ballots, said Garcia, stressing the need to educate voters on the proper use and submission of these ballots to avoid confusion and errors.
Garcia also discussed the alignment between the BARMM Electoral Code and the Omnibus Election Code, clarifying that the BARMM code, being newly crafted, includes provisions like women’s representation and anti-political dynasty clauses.
“Kinikilala po ng COMELEC, sapagkat kami po ay nagparticipate actively sa paglilinang nitong ating Bangsamoro Election Code,” he pointed out.
(COMELEC recognizes this because we actively participate in the crafting of the Bangsamoro Election Code.)
The COMELEC fully supports the BARMM Electoral Code and will rely on existing jurisprudence and the Omnibus Election Code in case of conflicts or necessary interpretations. (PIA SarGen)