Muntinlupa voters urged to register again

Muntinlupa City residents whose voter’s records have been destroyed in a fire that gutted the city hall recently have until Aug. 17 to register or transfer their voter’s registration records for the Oct. 29 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

In a resolution, Comelec said applications for registration or transfer of registration could be filed starting yesterday until Aug. 17 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the designated office of election officers in Muntinlupa.

The Comelec claimed that under Section 40 of Republic Act 8189 or the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996, “the poll body could form again records that have been lost or destroyed by using the corresponding copies of the provincial or national central files.”

The law states that if reconstitution is not feasible, “the commission shall conduct a general registration of voters in the effected area."

The Comelec, however, found out that reconstitution could be made only for the records obtained for the May 14 national and local elections.

The agency added that “reconstitution is not possible” for the records filed from July 15 to 22 and from July 24 to 31, covering the barangay polls, because they have been destroyed in the blaze.

The fire also damaged the applications filed from July 15 to 22 and for applications in Barangay Sucat submitted from July 28 to 29, covering the SK elections. – Sheila Crisostomo