Attempts by 'flying voters' to register in ARMM foiled

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) gave assurance yesterday that the new list of voters in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) would be clean despite attempts by hundreds of “flying voters” to register.

Comelec Commissioner Armando Velasco said the poll body successfully prevented about 200 flying voters from listing up and be included in the new list of registered voters in ARMM.

“We have made the rounds and we are confident that no flying voters were able to register,” he said.      

Velasco said the Comelec has instructed police to strictly monitor all vehicles entering the region and stop those without license plates.

He said there were really attempts by some groups to ferry flying voters from the cities of Davao, General Santos and Iligan, but they were immediately stopped at checkpoints   Velasco said the suspected flying voters were not arrested or charged because authorities cannot prove their guilt since they have been stopped at checkpoints and not at the registration centers.

He said election officers have been instructed to be vigilant and to stop young people who are not qualified to vote yet from listing up.

Henrietta de Villa, national chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, said she personally saw “very young” registrants who managed to list up in several towns in Maguindanao.

Velasco said voters should not try to register more than once because they can immediately be identified and charged accordingly.

“Even if they change their names, they can immediately be identified through their fingerprints,” he said.

Velasco said those who would be caught would be charged with violating election laws and face imprisonment of one to six years.        

Local officials, meanwhile, ranted about the supposed unannounced relocation of designated registration sites which they said could disenfranchise more than 100,000 prospective registrants in the region.

In Lanao del Sur, sources said mayors and municipal election officers managed to transfer dozens of registration sites away from areas that are known bailiwicks of their political rivals.

“If the Comelec cannot address this, there is a possibility that no less than 50,000 supposedly qualified voters in Lanao del Sur cannot have themselves listed,” a senior police officer said.

In Maguindanao, military officials said thousands would surely be disenfranchised if the problems could not be addressed promptly.– With John Unson