CIRCULAR NO. 18, December 15, 1986

Executive Order No. 50, dated October 20, 19G0, of Her
Excellency, President Corazon C. Aquino provides for the general
registration of voters for the plebiscite on the proposed Constitution,
for the plebiscite, appropriating funds therefor, and for other
purposes.

Section 19 of Executive Order No. 50, provides:

“SEC. 19. Jurisdiction in Inclusion and Exclusion Cases.
– The Municipal and Metropolitan Trial Courts shall have original and
exclusive jurisdiction over all matters of inclusion and exclusion of
voters from the list in their respective municipalities and cities. The
decision of the Municipal or Metropolitan Trial Courts shall be rendered
within ten (10) days after the filing of the petition and may be
appealed directly by the aggrieved party to the proper Regional Trial
Court within five (5) days from receipt of notice thereof otherwise said
decision of the Municipal or Metropolitan Trial Court shall become
final and executory. The Regional Trial Court shall decide the appeal
within ten (10) days from filing and its decision shall be immediately
final and executory. No motion for reconsideration shall be entertained
by the Courts. Failure of the judges concerned to comply with the
deadlines fixed in this Section shall subject them to administrative
action.”

Sections 20, 21 and 23 of the same Executive Order provide that
petitions for inclusion and exclusion of voters from the I list, as well
as applications by voters excluded from the list’ throuah inadvertence
or registered with an erroneous or misspelled name, shall be filed with
the proper Municipal or Metropolitan Trial Court within fifteen (15) days after the last registration day. COMELEC Resolution No. 1778, j gated on October 30, 1986, set the dates for registrati< December 6, 7, 13 and 14, 1986.

Pursuant to and conformably with the pertinent provj of the
aforecited Executive Order, you are hereby directed to be at your
respective salas from December 15 to 29, ‘] inclusive of Saturdays and
Sundays, except on Christmas December 25, 1986 which is a legal Holiday,
to hear and decide cases for inclusion, exclusion, correction and ci of
names of voters.

Your attention is further called to the provisions I Section 24 of Executive Order No. 50.

“SEC. 24.

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“(a) No petition for inclusion, exclusion and correction of names of voters shall be received outside of regular office hours.

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“(f) These applications shall be heard and decided
without delay. The decision shall be rendered within six (6) hours after
the hearing.”

December 15, 1986.