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Monday, September 15, 2003
Lacanilao seeks transfer of Apalit Comelec officer
APALIT, Pampanga -- Mayor Tirso Lacanilao recently sought the transfer of Apalit election officer Joselito T. Matias after he allegedly violated the rules on voter registration by enlisting persons who are not residents of the town.
In his letter-complaint to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos dated Sept. 8, Lacanilao alleged that Matias registered "non-resident applicants" believed to be members of the Ang Dating Daan (ADD) religious group.
"I would like to bring to your attention the irregularities committed by the Comelec registrar of this municipality to wit: 1) registration of non-resident applicants from the Dating Daan religious sector; and 2) Allowing registration of applicant beyond the allowed time which is 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. At one time, the registration went beyond 10 p.m.," Lacanilao said.
Lacanilao requested that Matias be replaced by another Comelec registrar who would strictly follow the rules and regulations in the registration of new voters.
"In this respect I am strongly requesting the transfer or pull-out of Mr. Joselito Matias, Comelec registrar of this municipality. Similarly, please provide us a Comelec Registrar who is capable of screening new applicants or somebody who can implement a system toward the realization of our common dream in coming up with a reliable new list of voters," the mayor further said in his letter.
He also attached a list of some 170 members of ADD who were allegedly registered by Matias recently.
"Please see the attached partial list of Dating Daan newly listed voters applicants who are not even listed as residents of Barangay Sampaloc, this municipality," Lacanilao said.
In an interview, Lacanilao said he is not against anyone or any group but he wants to ensure that all new voters registered in Apalit are legitimate residents of the town.
"I am not after my political career, I am only protecting Apalit," Lacanilao explained.
The mayor added that Matias should have asked a Comelec clearance from the registrants to determine where they came from and to validate their previous registration.
But in a separate interview, Apalit Comelec registrar Joselito Matias said the ADD members whom he registered in four occasions from August 20 to August 27, have all passed the necessary requirements for new voters.
"I did not violate any registration rule. The applicants passed all the requirements. I even conducted an ocular inspection in Barangay Sampaloc last August 20 and found their (applicants) dwellings. They are called mga manggagawa (the workers) of Dating Daan. They serve those who attend their mass every Sundays. They have been residing and working there for four to five years now," Matias claimed.
According to Matias, the requirements for new voters are as follows: the applicant must have a six month residency in the respective barangay; must present any valid identification card or document such as school, employer's, postal, SSS, and senior citizens' ID, a driver's license, or an NBI/PNP clearance.
However, Matias admitted that some 160 ADD members whom he registered as new voters ranges from ages 20 to 30 years old.
In such cases, given their age range, it is assumed that they should have already voted and been registered as "old voters" in other areas and could have applied for a "transfer of registration".
But Matias claimed that all the applicants were listed as "new voters".
"Hindi sila transferees or old voters dahil sabi nila hindi pa raw sila bumoboto kahit kailan (They aren't transferees or old voters because they said they haven't voted anywhere before)," he explained.
Matias also admitted that he served beyond office hours last August 27 to accommodate the ADD members who trooped to his office for registration.
Matias added that it is also true that a certain Laring of ADD invited three of his assistants for a "night out" after the registration proceedings last August 27.
Comelec investigation
Meanwhile, the Comelec cleared Matias from Lacanilao's allegations.
In an investigation ordered by commissioner-in-charge for Region 3, Ralph C. Lantion, it was revealed that Matias did not violate any Comelec policy.
"In view of the foregoing, the undersigned, in his humble opinion, firmly believes that EO Matias did not violate any provision of the Comelec Resolution on the Rules and regulation for Registration and Validation of Voters," Atty. Temie P. Lambino, Pampanga provincial election supervisor IV, told Lantion in his investigation report dated Sept. 10.
Comelec Region 3 director Zoilo M. Perlas and assistant director Emmanuel Ignacio, in a separate investigation, also said the members of ADD "possessed all the qualifications of a registered voter." MZA/CN
(September 14, 2003 issue)
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