MANILA,
June 22 -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has exempted all registered
voters in Mindanao from paying the prescribed fee of PHP75 for the issuance of
voter's certificate.
Based
on Resolution No. 10186 promulgated on June 10, the Commission en banc approved
the proposal to include all voters in the region, exempting them to pay the
said fee.
"Exempt
all registered voters in the cities and municipalities of Mindanao, in paying
the PHP75.00 certification fee for the issuance of Voter's Certification until
otherwise ordered by the Commission En Banc," the order said.
It
was the Community and Family Services International (CFSI) Sub - Office,
Zamboanga City, sought for the exemption of "untagged IDPs (Internally
Displaced Persons)" in the said city, but the Commission en banc has
decided to include the whole Mindanao.
"WHEREAS,
during the regular session of the Commission En Banc on June 6, 2017, when the
request of the CFSI was taken up, there was a proposal to exempt not only the
IDPs in Zamboanga City but all registered voters in Mindanao in the payment of
certification fee, taking into consideration the declaration of Martial Law
(Proclamation No. 216) in Mindanao on May 23, 2017, as a result of the peace
and order situation in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur. The proposal was approved.
Further, the issuance of the Voter's Certification free of charge in Mindanao
shall be effective, until revoked by the Commission En Banc," it added.
The
Voter's Certification will be utilized as attachment by "untagged
IDPs" in applying for birth registration records and subsequent enrollment
as target beneficiaries in the Zamboanga Recovery Project funded by the
Department of Foreign Affairs of Australia.
With
this, the poll body said voters shall personally claim during office hours (8
a.m. - 5 p.m.), their Voters' Certification at the Offices of the Election
Officer (OEOs) where they are registered.
On
the other hand, registered voters in Marawi City who are staying at evacuation
centers in Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City, must claim their certification
at the Offices of the Provincial Election Supervisors in Misamis Oriental and
Lanao del Norte, respectively.
