Comelec says it can use VIS to verify registration of voters
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) can use the voter information sheet (VIS) to verify and cross check the legitimacy of a Filipino voter’s registration, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) can use the voter information sheet (VIS) to verify and counter check the legitimacy of a voter’s registration, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday.
While Garcia said that one of the challenges of the distribution of the VIS is to ensure that a voter resides at the stated address, he said that they can use it as a way to check the legitimacy of a voter’s address.
“Makakatulong po ito sa atin kapag magpaparegister na tayo ng botante and later on, malalaman din namin kung sino ang pwedeng kasuhan, paexclude dahil sa hindi pala sila nakatira,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.
(This will help us when we start opening voter registration and later on, we will identify who can be sued and excluded [from the voter’s list] because they do not actually live there.)
The Comelec on Wednesday began its nationwide house-to-house distribution of the VIS to every registered voter. The VIS is a four-page sheet that contains the voter’s name, address, precinct finder, voting reminders and guidelines, and the names of the candidates for the 2025 elections.
READ: Duplicating 4-page VIS for 2025 polls looks impossible — Comelec
When asked if the distribution of VIS can flag alleged massive registration in a certain area, Garcia answered in the affirmative.
“May posibilidad na kapag binibigay ang VIS ay itatanggi ng may-ari ng bahay na walang nakatira doon. Malaking tulong sa amin para yung mapaimbestigahan namin na may massive registration kahit hindi tiga dyan ay mapapatunayan kung totoo o hindi,” Garcia noted.
(There is a possibility that an owner of a house refuses to accept a VIS because no one actually lives there. It will be a big help for us so we can investigate massive registration even if the voters do not actually live there.)
He said that barangay officials can coordinate with the Comelec to counter check and confirm the voters who did not receive their VIS because of their addresses.
READ: 38 voters with 1 address? Over 3,000 registrants in Makati district flagged
The United Nationalist Alliance previously flagged 3,000 suspicious voter registrations in Makati City, where the group cited that 38 individuals shared the same address, while other registrants declared residences that turned out to be vacant lots.
The Comelec previously revealed that the “massive” issuance of barangay certificates was the reason behind the irregular transfer of voters in Makati City. A barangay certificate is a requirement to become a registered voter of an area.
Garcia earlier urged Congress to scrap the barangay certificate as a requirement for voter registration, as it could lead to irregular transfer of voters.
