The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it has already opened the filing period for the petition for accreditation by political groups.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said this is to give parties time to answer questions of legalities regarding their petitions.
“We made the announcement this early for the filing of a petition for accreditation with the Comelec. Based on our experience, when petitions for accreditation are filed, sometimes it’s only a few days before the election, the ballot has already been printed, and there are pending petitions for accreditation. We want them to file earlier and then we will finish early the deadline for filing the petition for accreditation,” he said in a Laging Handa briefing on Thursday.
He added that the Office of the Clerk of the Commission has already started receiving verified petitions for registration as a political party or a coalition of political parties.
Garcia, however, said the deadline for the filing has yet to be decided upon by the Commission en banc.
Last month, the poll body urged organizations and groups intending to register as political party; a coalition of political parties; or a national, regional, or sectoral group or organization to participate in the party-list system of representation to file their verified petitions for registration before the Commission.
The Clerk of the Commission will accept petitions compliant with Comelec Resolution No. 10673 (In Re: Guidelines on Electronic Filing, Conduct of Hearings/Investigations/Inquiries via Video Conference, and Service) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays, excluding holidays.
The Comelec meanwhile said it is all set to hold the plebiscite that will determine the fate of the conversion of the Calaca town in Batangas into a component city on Saturday.
“We are 100 percent ready. The briefing of the Plebiscite Board and the Plebiscite Committee concluded on Thursday. All ballots, forms and supplies have been tendered to the Municipal Treasurer, and such will be distributed to all Plebiscite Boards and Plebiscite Committee early tomorrow (Saturday) morning in accordance with the General Instructions,” acting Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said in an interview Friday.
He added that all poll workers for all clustered precincts have been duly accounted for while alternate workers are on standby to fill in for those who will not report.
The local government unit (LGU) of Calaca has allocated a budget of P13.7 million for the plebiscite.
There are a total of 58,881 official ballots to be used in the activity — Plebiscite Returns – 123 sets (one set of three copies); Certificate of Canvass and Proclamation – one set of four copies; Statement of Votes by Precinct – eight sets (one set of four copies) and Summary of Votes – one set of four copies.
Each ballot measures 4.5 inches by 8 inches and bears the question, “Pumapayag ka ba na ang munisipalidad ng Calaca ay gawing isang
lungsod ng probinsiya ng Batangas na kikilalanin bilang lungsod ng Calaca alinsunod sa Batas Republika bilang 11544 na kilala din bilang
Charter of the City of Calaca? (Do you favor the conversion of the municipality of Calaca into a component city of Batangas pursuant to
Republic Act 11544 also known as the Charter of the City of Calaca?)
Voters will write either “Yes” or “Oo” to vote for the approval of the proposal, or “No” or “Hindi” to vote for its rejection, in the blank after the question.
Aside from the activity in Region 4-A (Calabarzon), the Province of Maguindanao will also hold a plebiscite on Sept. 17.
The plebiscite is set to ratify the division of the Province of Maguindanao into 2 districts and independent provinces — Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.
The province which is under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has allotted P89.17 million for the holding of the plebiscite.
