Comelec says it's 50% ready to hold ARMM polls

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday gave assurance that it had long started with the preparations for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the agency is almost 50-percent prepared to administer the polls so it would not be caught flat-footed in case the Supreme Court (SC) orders it to conduct the ARMM elections.

Jimenez said the Comelec would “not be starting from scratch” in the event the SC nullifies Republic Act 10153 synchronizing the ARMM polls with the 2013 midterm elections.

The Comelec had already begun the preparations for some requirements, including the computerized voters’ list and the list of candidates.

When the Comelec is directed to hold the ARMM polls, Jimenez said it would need to activate its coordination with the Department of Education for the teachers who would administer the elections, among other agencies.  

The SC is presently deliberating on petitions that seek to invalidate RA 10153. Recently, it issued a temporary restraining order on the appointment of officers-in-charge (OICs) in the ARMM when the term of office of the region’s incumbent officials expires on Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said yesterday there will be no void or vacancies in the positions of ARMM governor, vice governor and members of the regional assembly whose term of office expires on Sept. 30 despite the SC restraining President Aquino from appointing OICs in the region. – With Paolo Romero