Comelec to file raps vs. barangay execs wrongfully issuing barangay certificates

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it will file criminal and administrative cases against barangay chairpersons found to be erroneously issuing barangay certificates amid the influx of voter registration in some areas ahead of the 2025 May elections.

Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said an “unusual” increase in new registered voters was recorded in several areas in the country including Makati and Cagayan de Oro.

“Kung hindi natin ito pipigilin, ito ang mangyayari sa susunod na halalan. Dapat tapusin na ito ngayon,” Garcia told reporters on the sidelines of the poll body’s monthly briefing about next year’s polls. "Kami may monitoring na ngayon. Pinapa-countercheck na namin ang pagtaas ng bilang".

(If we will not stop it now, then it may be repeated in the next elections. We have to end it now.)

During the briefing, the Comelec task force said their investigation showed 4,308 voters applied for transfer from EMBO barangays to the 1st district of Makati, of which,3,596 used barangay certifications as proof of identification and residence.

At least 14,954 transferred to the 2nd District, with at least 13,918 using barangay certificates.

The total number of registered voters in Barangay Carmen in Cagayan de Oro soared to 56,837 in November 2024 from 32,218 in October 2023 this translates to a 44.41% increase in voters. Of the figures, a total of 8,218 or 37.60% of the applicants registered using barangay certificates.

“Maliwanag na ‘yung Makati at Cagayan de Oro, maliwanag na ‘yung pag-issue ng barangay certifications ay walang basehan…Therefore, kasama ‘yun sa preliminary investigation na ico-conduct ng ating Law Department,” said Garcia.

(It is clear that some barangay chairpersons in Makati and Cagayan de Oro issued barangay certificates without proper basis. Therefore, this will be included in the preliminary investigation being conducted by the Law Department.)

The Comelec chief said their Law Department will issue subpoenas against the barangay officials involved from the two cities. If found guilty, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)  may suspend the erring officials or remove them from their posts.

"Ito ay threat sa kredibilidad ng ating darating na halalan," Garcia added.

(This is a threat to the credibility of the upcoming polls.)

On Wednesday, the poll body filed a disqualification case against a barangay chairperson in Cagayan de Oro for allegedly issuing over 8,000 barangay certificates.

The Comelec Law Department alleged that Barangay Carmen chairperson Raineir Joaquin Velez Uy — who is gunning for a seat in the House of Representatives in next year's polls —  “willfully and maliciously employed the fraudulent scheme of issuing barangay certifications even to non-residents of Barangay Carmen to influence and induce them to register as voters in the said barangay, to purposely give due advantage to his candidacy for the 2025 NLE and BPE”.

Uy denied the accusations, saying he “did not engage in any fraudulent means to encourage or force Carmen residents who had not yet registered to do so, merely to fulfill their civic duty and exercise their right to vote” and called on new voters to come forward and affirm they were not coerced to register. 

“The increase in voter registration in Barangay Carmen reflects the public’s response to Comelec and other government agencies’ calls for citizens to register as voters, emphasizing the importance of Filipino participation in elections, a fundamental pillar of democracy,” Uy told GMA News Online.

Lawmakers including Cagayan de Oro Representative Lordan Suan earlier raised alarm over reports of an anomalous increase in new voters in the 2025 polls such as Batangas, Makati, and Nueva Ecija, among others. She also wrote a letter to the Comelec regarding alleged voter registration anomalies in her province.

The Comelec previously said it has formed a task force to look into the issue. — BAP, GMA Integrated News