Comelec to ban barangay certificate requirement in voters registration

The Commission on Elections said that barangay certificates would no longer be needed in voters' registration in the country. 

Speaking at a forum in Manila, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the move was prompted by reports that these certificates have allegedly been "weaponized" by corrupt barangay officials.

"Tinatanggal na namin ang barangay certification bilang ebidensya na pwedeng gamitin na pagpapatunay na taga-doon ang mga tao,” the chief said, emphasizing that this initiative is part of the revision of the Comelec's guidelines on voters registration. 

He added, "Sa dami naming barangay officials na aming inimbestigahan dahil sa aming palagay, 'yan ay na-weaponize…Ginagamit ng ilang tiwali na opisyal para maglipat ng kanilang botante o kaya alisin ang mga botante sa kanilang palagay ay kalaban nila." 

Instead of barangay certificates, other options, including postal ID, senior citizen's ID, and student's ID, are accepted for registration as proof of residence, as per Garcia.

"'Wag lang barangay certification kasi ginagamit ng ibang tiwaling opisyal para lamang maglipat ng botante o alisin ang mga botantent sa kanilang palagay ay kalaban nila. So aalisin na namin," he said.

In November, the poll body seeks a ban on voter registration using birth certificates as proof of residency. 

The registration for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in December will start on July 1 and run through July 11, after being suspended on Sept. 30, 2024, due to the midterm election.

Comelec is expecting one million Filipinos to register due to the expansion of its Register Anywhere Program and off-site mall voting program. This makes more than 69.5 million voters for BSKE.