Comelec probes possible sharing of voters in some areas

Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s poll body is looking into the possibility that some areas may have been sharing voters to help a candidate win elections.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia mentioned this when the Senate subcommittee on electoral reforms and people’s participation opened its probe into the alleged indiscriminate issuance of barangay certifications to register as a voter or transfer registration.

During the hearing, he reiterated the Comelec’s recommendation for Congress to strengthen the Voter’s Registration Act of 1996 by defining crimes and imposing higher penalties against, if not perpetual disqualification to hold public office.

“Because the weaknesses of our fellow countrymen are being exploited,” Garcia said in Filipino.

“In fact, we are already investigating the possibility that there are areas that share voters, especially when the candidate has no opponent and therefore, voters would be temporarily lent to a nearby area so they can use them there. And later on,  if there is an opponent, they will come back,” he added.

“And that is unacceptable because such efforts are repulsive, which are only done to not reflect the true sentiments of our countrymen,” the poll body chief also said.

Garcia pointed out that under the Voter’s Registration law, government-issued identifications are required to register as a voter.

A Supreme Court ruling, however, later allowed voters to register using barangay certificates.

However, this new requirement has been abused, leading the poll body to investigate nine areas, including  Makati City and San Juan City, over reports of alleged irregular transfer of voters.

In Makati, Garcia said the poll body has already adopted its task force’s recommendation to file criminal and administrative cases against local officials involved in the “massive” and indiscriminate issuance of barangay certifications there.

The Comelec also urged Congress to ban the issuance of barangay certificates as proof of voter registration.

READ: Comelec wants Congress to drop barangay certification as voter requisite

This stemmed from the case filed by the United Nationalist Alliance in October against more than 3,000 registrants in the 2nd district of Makati City and 79 more in the city’s 1st district.

READ: 38 voters with 1 address? Over 3,000 registrants in Makati district flagged