THE Commission on Elections last Friday, September 5, said it is ready for the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Speaking during a media orientation on the Bangsamoro peace process at Camp Evangelista in Patag, Cagayan de Oro, Comelec Director and spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the office is “all set” for the October 13 polls.
Voters in the region will elect members of the parliament who will then choose a chief minister.
Each voter will cast two votes: one for a party representative and another for a district representative.
Laudiangco said the election gun ban started on August 14 and will end on October 28 as part of the preparations.
The region has 2,250,935 registered voters, 1,184 voting centers and 3,481 clustered precincts, according to the Comelec.
Laudiangco expressed confidence that the election will be successful, noting that the agency has monitoring systems in place and contingency plans prepared.
Voting will begin at 5 am and will end at 7 pm.
“There is no right or wrong vote. Comelec does not teach what is a right or wrong vote,” Laudiangco said, urging voters to choose candidates they believe will be effective members of the parliament.
He added: “I hope there is no ‘this will do,’ and especially, I hope there is no guessing. That is not being a responsible voter.”
Laudiangco also said the agency has seen a change in the polling system during the May 12 regular election, and they hope for the same to happen in the Barmm election.
