Supreme Court voids Oct. 31 deadline for voters' registration

MANILA, Philippines - Voters can still register for next year’s elections until Jan. 9 after the Supreme Court voided the Oct. 31 deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

The order is immediately executory.

Ruling on the petition of Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino, the SC said the Oct. 31 deadline was in violation of law for being over two months ahead of the date prescribed under Republic Act 8189, the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996.

“The Comelec is directed to proceed with dispatch in reopening the registration of voters and holding the same until Jan. 9, 2010,” read the SC decision.

“No registration shall be conducted during the period starting 120 days before a regular election and 90 days before a special election.”

The SC said Congress was well within the ambit of its legislative power in passing RA 8189.

The Comelec must exercise its rule-making power in accordance with law, the SC added.

In voiding the Comelec deadline, the SC said the constitutional right of suffrage must be upheld.

“The right of every Filipino to choose the leaders who will lead the country and participate, to the fullest extent possible, in every national and local election is so zealously guarded by the fundamental law that it devoted an entire article solely therefore,” read the SC decision.

Other petitioners were first-time voters Jade Charmane Rose Valenzuela, Jacqueline Alexis Merced, Ana Katrina Tejero, Kenneth Carlisle Earl Eugenio and Victor Louis Crisostomo.

The SC decision was written by Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales.

Melo: It won’t be easy

At the Comelec, chairman Jose Melo said it would not be easy to extend the registration of voters since they are already deep in preparations for the automated elections next year.

“It would be difficult to update the list since it is already in the pipeline,” he said. “The precincts are already set to receive their lists.”

Melo said the Comelec’s timetable would be disrupted if the registration period is extended, but said they would study it.

As of Dec. 10, the number of registered voters had reached 49,271,492.

The registration period ran from December 2008 to October 2009. – Edu Punay, Sheila Crisostomo, Christina Mendez