Brgy certificates’ ‘massive’ issuance caused Makati’s huge voter transfers

“Embo” voters — File photo from INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines — The “massive” issuance of barangay certifications is the main reason behind the irregular transfer of voters in Makati City, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Thursday.

Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body’s task force learned about this following its initial investigation.

“Initial findings reveal that the culprit is the massive issuance of certificate of residency,” Garcia told INQUIRER.net in a message.

Last Oct. 14, the United Nationalists Alliance questioned before Comelec the validity of the qualifications of 3,000 registrants in the 2nd district and 79 more in the 1st district.

The alliance is led by Sen. Nancy Binay who is gunning for Makati City’s mayoral seat.

Makati’s 2nd district is the bailiwick of Binay’s mayoral opponent, Rep. Luis Campos.

In 2022, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of 10 “embo” villages to Taguig, leaving Makati’s 2nd district with only three villages under it.

Garcia said the Comelec is determining who issued the barangay certificate of residency to those voters registered in the 10 villages.

“We will study the possibility of filing cases against those responsible,” he noted.

For his part, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla told INQUIRER.net that no formal complaint about this matter has reached his department.

“We cannot file charges without the proper investigation report,” he said in a message on Thursday.

Currently, one requirement a person can present as document to become a registered voter in a locality is a barangay identification or certification with a photograph.

But Garcia previously said this could lead to “mass migration” of voters from one place to another.

He also said similar irregularities were observed in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Cagayan de Oro and Batangas.