COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Antonio Kho called on Palaweños to go out and cast their votes on Saturday, March 13, 2021, in the plebiscite aimed at ratifying a law dividing Palawan into three.
Comelec records show that there are a total of 490,639 registered voters in 2,959 clustered precincts in Palawan, currently the largest province in the country.
The plebiscite question is, "Pumapayag ka ba na hatiin ang Probinsya ng Palawan sa tatlong probinsya na papangalanang Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, at Palawan del Sur alinsunod sa Batas Republika 11259?”
(Are you in favor of dividing Palawan Province into three, namely, Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, at Palawan del Sur based on Republic Act 11259?)
Voters will just need to write the word "Yes" or "Oo" if they approve of the proposal, or "No" or "Hindi" if they disapprove.
In a press conference in Puerto Princesa City, Kho urged registered voters to participate in the electoral exercise.
"To our voters, please go out and vote. This plebiscite will be a consequential event for the province of Palawan. It is consequential in a sense that it will determine the future of Palawan," said Kho.
"We are asking for your support by heading to the polling precincts. Observe health standards and vote. Hopefully, we can quickly get the results and can declare who won as soon as possible," he added.
He said the results of the plebiscite may be expected around three days later, or on March 16.
"Hopefully, we could get the final results by the 16th. Although it may give or take a day or two so that we could determine if it is a 'yes' or a 'no'," said Kho.
Kho said Comelec will be using the manual system of elections.
"Considering that it is manual system, it may take time. This is unlike the national elections, where it is automated counting and transmission," he said.
At the close of voting at 3 pm, he said plebiscite committees will have to manually count each ballot and tally the votes.
The ballot boxes will then be physically transported to their respective municipalities.
"This will definitely take time. So, I will ask our voters to please have patience. We cannot expect results within a day," said Kho.
Meanwhile, the Comelec is not ruling out the possibility of postponing the plebiscite on Kalayaan Island, where there are nearly 400 registered voters as of the May 2019 elections.
This is due to the continued inability to bring the election paraphernalia to the island municipality in time for the plebiscite.
"The situation is still developing, and will be addressed at the appropriate time," said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez in a separate interview.
"For now, there is still no indication that this will be necessary," he added.
As of press time, Jimenez said the election paraphernalia was already in the custody of the Kalayaan election officer, who was awaiting an opportunity to go back to El Nido. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)
No comments:
Post a Comment