Comelec assures neutral position on Palawan plebiscite

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) assured that it will implement the decision of the people of Palawan regarding the division of their province through a plebiscite next month.

“We would like to assure everyone that the Comelec will be nonpartisan in this plebiscite. We will implement whatever decision of the voters with respect to the plebiscite, whether they will ratify or reject the partition of the province of Palawan,” Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho told reporters in a recent interview.

He said the Comelec will have no position with regards to the plebiscite.

“I would like to assure everyone that the Comelec, in holding this plebiscite, will be nonpartisan. We have no position whether we agree or disagree with this plebiscite. We will just implement the decision of the voters,” Kho said.

Kho also said there is no conflict of interest with the provincial government’s move to fund the plebiscite, where it is campaigning for “Yes” votes.

“With respect to funding of plebiscite, under the law, it is the LGU of Palawan that will shoulder the cost of the plebiscite. They are providing the Comelec the budget necessary for the plebiscite. So I don’t see any conflict of interest in this situation because it is provided for by law,” he said.

The voter will be asked to write “Yes” or “Oo” if they favor the split and “No” or “Hindi” if they are not in favor on the question, “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 bilang 11259? (Are you in favor of the division of the province of Palawan into three separate provinces: Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur pursuant to Republic Act 11259?)”.

The Comelec originally set the plebiscite to ratify the division of the province of Palawan into three provinces on the second week of May 2020 but it was moved to March this year, due to quarantine restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.