Sotto: Duterte to veto ‘moot’ bill extending voter registration period

MANILA, Philippines — A bill extending the voter registration period will be vetoed by President Rodrigo Duterte since it has been rendered moot with the recent decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Senate President Vicente Sotto III said.

During Wednesday’s plenary session, Sotto informed the body that the House bill extending the registration of voters has been transmitted to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO).

The Senate also passed a similar bill mandating a one-month extension but opted to adopt the House version to do away with a bicameral conference committee.

“It is with the PLLO actually. After I talked to [Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea], he said that as long as he has not received it yet, we can do whatever we want. But it’s already with the PLLO. He said they will veto because it is moot and academic,” Sotto said.

“We will just let it go, allow the executive department to just veto it,” he added.

Sotto said this was also the recommendation of the Comelec, which is set to submit its resolution on voter registration to the President in the next few days.

“The resolution of the Comelec will be given to the President in the next day or so, I think by tomorrow, at the latest, Friday. So it’s already extended,” Sotto said.

The voter registration period was supposed to end on September 30.

But with the Comelec’s new resolution, the registration will be suspended when the filing of certificates of candidacy starts—October 1 to October 8—and will resume from October 11 to 30.

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