[ PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 256, July 27, 1973 ]

AUTHORIZING BARANGAY MEMBERS TO CAST THEIR VOTES IN THE BARANGAY CENTERS NEAREST THEIR RESIDENCE.

WHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 229, dated June 30, 1973 has provided for secret voting on Referendum Day of July 27, 1973 so that the collective views of the members of the Barangay may be ascertained with accuracy and their decisions on national and local issues be given effect;

WHEREAS, Barangay members who are registered under the permanent system of registration pursuant to the Election Code of 1971 and also those registered under the validated list used in the January 1973 Referendum need not register under Presidential Decree No. 210;

WHEREAS, it is possible that these barangay members mentioned in the preceding paragraph may have difficulty in locating their Barangay Centers or may not be able to locate their Barangay Centers on Referendum Day and thus would have difficulty in voting or would not be able to vote;

WHEREAS, it is also possible that barangay members registered under Presidential Decree No, 210 may not also be able to easily locate their Barangay Centers;

WHEREAS, Section 17, Paragraph j, of Presidential Decree No. 229 penalizes any person who, being a registered voter of the Barrio or Barangay, fails to cast his vote without justifiable excuse with imprisonment of not less that one month or more than six months; and

WHEREAS, in order to achieve the desired goal of affording as much as possible the greatest number of the members of the barangay opportunity to express their views thru the secret ballot, they should, with some measure, of facility and certainty, be able to cast their vote on Referendum Day;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081, dated September 21, 1972, and General Order No. 1, dated September22, 1972, do hereby order and decree to be part of the laws of the land the following:

SECTION 1. Any barangay member who, on Referendum Day, in spite of diligent efforts and through no fault of his own could not locate his Barangay Center shall be allowed to vote in the Barangay Center nearest his residence.

SEC. 2. Any registered barangay member of a city/municipality/municipal district, who on Referendum Day is staying for any reason in another city/municipality/municipal district outside the province where he is registered, may cast his vote in the Barangay Center nearest the place where he is temporarily staying.

SEC. 3. Any barangay referendum committee which on account of the additional transient voters mentioned above, runs short of ballots at any time on Referendum Day shall be authorized to borrow from the nearest Barangay Referendum Committee under proper receipt sufficient number of ballots for their Barangay Center.

SEC. 4. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 27th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President Republic of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) ROBERTO V. REYES
		Assistant Executive Secretary