Army commander Col. Daniel Lucero speaks to villagers during the general registration in Lanao del Sur, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where troops and policemen are deployed to ensure peace during the registration of voters. (Photo courtesy by Harib Lanzur / Mindanao Examiner)
MARAWI CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 10, 2012) – Government troops have intercepted dozens of illegal registrants in Lanao del Sur as general voters’ registration continued Tuesday in the five-province Muslim autonomous region, officials said.
Officials said the illegal registrants were believed to be from other areas and had been trying to register in various precincts in the province. They were intercepted at a military checkpoint in the town of Pawak Saguiran, said Col. Daniel Lucero, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade.
“They were in several jeeps when intercepted by our soldiers. We told his to go home peacefully and reminded them that what they are doing is against the law,” Lucero told the Mindanao Examiner.
Lucero said the voters’ registration, which started July 9 until July 18, is peaceful in the province. “So far, everything is good. We have no reports of violence related to the ongoing general voters’ registration,” he said.
But Lucero said they are closely guarding feuding political clans to prevent fighting. He said police and military are closely coordinating in guarding the registration centers to ensure peace during the general registration.
The Commission on Elections said the registration is also peaceful in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, including Maguindanao, although there were some reports that registrants had difficulty in locating their registration centers mainly due to problems on clustering and locations. (Mindanao Examiner)
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