COMELEC warns double registrants

CEBU - The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) vowed to file charges against voters who filed double or multiple registrations following the discovery of nearly half a million suspicious registrants.

The COMELEC made the statement alongside the conduct of a special Election Registration Board (ERB) hearing nationwide to address the issue of double or multiple voting registrations which is part of the preparation for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) set in October.

COMELEC spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the poll body is looking into almost 120,000 voters who may have deliberately registered twice. “Mukhang sinadya po talaga nila na magrehistro muli. Mayroon po kaming mga nakita na gumamit ng ibang pangalan, iniba ang itsura, pero dahil pareho ang kanilang fingerprint, natuklasan at nakita po namin sa kanila, in fact po, 7,000 complaints na po ang naka-ready kami na i-file po noong last week pa,” he said. 

To date, there are almost 498,000 voters with double or multiple registrations which are targeted to be arranged by this month. "Karamihan po diyan ay iyong mga lumipat ng tirahan, iyong nag-transfer na hindi nabura iyong dating registration; or nag-transfer po muli at iyong dating transfer ay hindi pa rin nabura,”Laudiangco said.

Once finalized, the preliminary investigation shall begin, according to Laudiangco. He said an election offense shall be penalized with six years of imprisonment, forfeiture of voting rights, and perpetual disqualification to hold public office, whether through election or appointment.

He said unreported deceased voters shall also be removed once the civil registry provided its nationwide update.

The poll body will also conduct its mall voting simulation for the upcoming BSKE next month. Laudiangco said the nationwide simulation shall only be done in select areas on July 15. In Cebu, the venue of the voting simulation is Robinsons Galleria in Cebu City.

Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, COMELEC Central Visayas regional director, said that BSKE rules are different from those of the regular local and national elections, especially on campaigning. The election period for the polls starts with the filing of the certificate of candidacy which will end on September 2.

He said candidates will not be allowed to hold activities related to campaigning on the day after the last day of filing of the COC or on September 3 until October 18. The 10-day campaign period will be on October 19 to 28.

Castillano stressed that BSKE candidates can only be considered candidates at the start of the campaign period.

He also said that although no one has ever been convicted of vote-buying, the election body is serious in charging individuals who will be caught involved in selling and buying votes. Voters, he, said should also help the COMELEC The top regional election official here on Tuesday reminded individuals planning to run in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Oct. 30 to familiarize themselves with the rules for campaigning.

Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Commission on Elections (Comelec) - Central Visayas regional director, said that BSKE rules are different from those of the regular local and national elections, especially on campaigning.

The election period for the village polls, Castillano said starts on the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) which will end on Sept. 2. He said candidates will not be allowed to hold activities related to campaigning on the day after the last day of filing of the COC or on September 3 until October 18.

The 10-day campaign period will be on October 19-28. Castillano stressed that BSKE candidates can only be considered candidates at the start of the campaign period. He also said that although no one has ever been convicted of vote-buying, the election body is serious in charging individuals who will be caught involved in selling and buying votes. Voters, he added, should also help the COMELEC in penalizing voters who are selling or buying votes by coordinating with the law enforcement units from arrest to prosecution and until the conviction.

He said candidates should also file their statements of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) so that they will not be penalized if they fail to do so or are found to have overspent during the elections, he said. “Be very careful with overspending. The 30 days after the elections, the last day of filing of SOCE will be on November 29,” Castillano said, adding all candidates, including those running for SK, are mandated by law to file their SOCE.

Under the law, BSKE candidates are allowed to spend only P5 per voter. (Stephanie Sevillano and John Rey Saavedra)