By Leslie Ann Aquino
Marawi City will not be included in the special satellite registration of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) from September 11 to 13 for next year's plebiscite for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao due to the upcoming conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections there on September 22.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
COMELEC Election and Barangay Affairs Department (EBAD) director Teopisto Elnas said Marawi City will also have a special registration activity after the village and youth polls.“We have a recommendation that there will be a separate registration for Marawi after their elections,” said Elnas.
COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez, however, said that the special registration is not exclusively for the Bangsamoro plebiscite.
"Registered voters no longer need to register. This is not for BBL rather for one to be a registered voter," he said.
"We just want to get as many people registered as possible so we will have these special registration activities,” added Jimenez.
The venues for the special satellite registration activities are the Capitol Gym in Butig for Lanao del Sur; Panggao Elementary School in Panggao for Lanao del Norte; Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat for Maguindanao; and Pikit Municipal Gym in Pikit and Midsayap Municipal Gym in Midsayap for North Cotabato.
Other areas where the special satellite registration will be held are Datu Disal Cultural Center in Lamitan City for Basilan; Barangay Pasil and Panlila Mama Tagbak in Indanan and Capitol Gym in Jolo for Sulu; and Barangay Sangga-Sangga in Bongao for Tawi-Tawi; ORG Compound in Cotabato City for Cotabato City; and Isabela City Hall for Isabela City.
The COMELEC already announced that the plebiscite will be held on January 21 in Bangsamoro core territories.