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Kabataan Partylist petitions Supreme Court to extend voters registration period

30 October 2012 1,576 views One Comment
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On the last day of the voter registration period for the upcoming 2013 midterm elections, Kabataan Partylist, along with several other youth leaders, is set to file a petition for extension of voter registration at the Supreme Court.

The youth partylist is set to file today, at around 11 AM, an urgent petition for certiorari and mandamus, with application for mandatory injunction, praying for the extension of voter registration up to January 12, 2013.

The petition cites Section 8 of the Voter’s Registration Act which states, “The personal filing of application of registration of voters shall be conducted daily in the office of the Election Officer during regular office hours. No registration shall, however, be conducted during the period starting one hundred twenty days before a regular election and ninety days before a special election.”

“Despite this provision, COMELEC has illegally set the deadline of the voter’s registration on October 31, 2012, pursuant to several resolutions, such as Resolution No. 9168 and Resolution 9269,” said Atty. Terry Ridon, Kabataan Partylist President and general counsel.

“There is existing jurisprudence that proves that setting an October 31 registration deadline is illegal,” Ridon said.

“In 2009, the Supreme Court has already ruled that the COMELEC cannot prematurely terminate the continuing registration of voters before the prohibitive period of election registration defined under the law – 120 days before the regular elections,” Ridon explained.

Ridon was referring to the case Palatino v. COMELEC (G.R. No. 189868), which declared null and void the setting of the October 31, 2009 deadline for the May 10, 2010 elections, and directed COMELEC to extend the voter registration period.

Kabataan Partylist had already sent the COMELEC a letter-request to extend the registration of voters and comply with the deadline set by law – the 12th of January 2013 – last Wednesday, Oct. 24.

“However, we feel that COMELEC will again act on this request halfheartedly, that is why we seek relief before the high tribunal today,” Ridon said.

“At the core of the issue is every voter’s right to suffrage. COMELEC must, at all times, ensure maximum voters’ participation in elections, and not hinder the democratic right to vote by imposing illegal deadlines,” the youth leader ended.###

For the full text of the petition see this link: http://kabataanpartylist.com/files/2012/10/SC-Petition-for-Voter-Registration-Extension.pdf

  • Mackey Baka

    I just want to inform Kabataan Partylist on how Comelec in Baguio city is neglecting applicants. I went to their office on the last day of election, 9:00 as I remembered.When I arrived, I showed a completely filled registration form from which I downloaded from the comelec website hoping that my registration process will be faster. I had with me all the documents like IDs and birth certificate. Meanwhile, a guard told me that they no longer accepts applicants. They had this quota of 500 applicants that day. This is unreasonable for they set a deadline but they don’t entertain me and my friends. 9;00 is early, i guess. He just told me to go back next year after election to register. I just found myself arguing with him and demandin to talk with the head of the office. “D nyo naman kami pwede paalisin dahil tinatamad nalang kayong mag-entertain ng maraming applicants. Unfair yun sa amin. Ngayon yun deadline pero bakit ayaw nyo tangapin application namin. Para san pa pagsesset nyo ng deadline?, I told him. He then answered, “Eh bakit kasi d ka nagregister ng mas maaga.” He even warned me that he would bring me out by force if I don’t stop arguing. I know that it is recommended for us to register ASAP however, it is not reasonable to reject us specially during registration period. In the end, I went out disappointed. I am not the only one who were been denied to register. There are lot of us, majority are youth. I also want to say that they also set quotas on other days resulting to few numbers of newly registered youth. I hope your petition will be a success. KPL mabuhay po kayo