Comelec wants to annul voters’ list after Eleksyon 2025

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing to propose the annulment of the voters’ list after the 2025 May elections, Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said Thursday. 

“Ang plano natin ipursige sa Kongreso. Ang hope natin by 2026, makapag-annul ng list of voters para magkaroon tayo ng panibagong re-registration of voters,” Garcia told reporters. 

(We plan to push this to the Congress. Hopefully by 2026, we can annul the voters list and start the re-registration. )

“Para may pagkakataon ang lahat na makapagparehistro upang malaman natin ang totoong bilang at mawala ang duda na bloated ang listahan, ” he said.

(This would give everyone the chance to re-register so that we will know the real number of voters, and to remove fears of bloated lists.)

Garcia’s remarks came amid reports of increases in new voters in some areas including Batangas, Makati, and Nueva Ecija tied to the anomalous use of barangay certificates as proof of residency.

 A task force was formed by the poll body to look into the issue.

“Gusto nating hilingin sa Kongeso na tanggalin ang barangay certification bilang requirement kung walang government-issued ID sa pagpaparehistro o pag-transfer ng registration. Sobra itong naabuso,” Garcua added. 

(We will also call for Congress to remove barangay certification  as proof of residency.)

The poll body likewise urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to file administrative cases against barangay chairpersons who are involved in the scheme. 

On Wednesday, the Comelec filed a disqualification case against Raineir Joaquin Velez Uy, barangay chairperson of Carmen, Cagayan de Oro, for issuing over 8,000 barangay certificates and caused the influx of registration of new voters for the 2025 polls. — BM, GMA Integrated News