Ampatuans may vote in Taguig, says Comelec

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Members of the Ampatuan family and other suspects in the Maguindanao massacre currently held in jail in Taguig City may cast their votes in the 2013 elections—but not as residents of Maguindanao.

In an interview over Radyo Inquirer, Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the Comelec had a resolution that allowed detainees across the country to register and vote, but only for candidates running for national office.

Under the resolution, detainees become registered voters in the places where they are imprisoned. As for the Ampatuans, they will be considered registered voters of Taguig City but they cannot participate in its local election.

“We have a resolution which says that if you are more than six months detained in a particular area, you can register where you are detained,” said Brillantes.

The Ampatuans have been locked up at the Quezon City Jail Annex in Camp Bagong Diwa for two years now so they are covered by the resolution, he pointed out.

“We are not barring them from voting, but not in Maguindanao,” he said.

No special treatment

Brillantes said the Comelec would not grant a special registration solely for the Ampatuans, suspected of having masterminded the grisly murders of 57 people, including journalists, in November 2009.

Last week, Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes issued an order allowing the massacre suspects to register as voters in Bicutan, Taguig, should they file an application for registration.

Brillantes took offense at the order, saying that trial courts cannot just order the Comelec to register a particular detainee upon request.

“We will not give the Ampatuans special treatment. We will register them together with all the rest of the detainees at the appropriate time,” he said.