Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced that barangay certifications will no longer form part of the requirements for voters’ registration and only two watchers per precinct.
Speaking at the monthly ‘Balitaan’ forum of the Manila City Hall Reporters’ Association (MACHRA) at the Harbor View Restaurant in Ermita, Garcia, who was accompanied his his spokesman Atty. Rex Laudiangco, said that the barangay certificates have been too ‘weaponized’ by unscrupulous individuals for purposes of having flying voters. He noted that in some instances, there are as big as 9,000 or 30,000 voters who have transferred from one barangay to another, through the manipulation of unscrupulous barangay officials.
“Para maiwasan na yan, we are removing barangay certificates as part of the requirements. Meron naman postal ID, senior citizen ID or student ID,” Garcia said, citing reports where some barangays even no longer charge for certification issuances, making such subject to questionability.
The new ruling to no longer accept barangay certificates as a requirement applies on the slated voters’ registration for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) which will take place from July 1 to 11, 2025 and the planned registration in preparation for the 2028 polls which he said may take place during the entire year of 2026.
According to Garcia, the Comelec expects three million additional voter-registrants for the 2028 elections which will bring to 71 million the total number of voters for the said polls. In the recently-concluded midterm polls, the number of voters was at 68 million.
Garcia said that in view of the said decision regarding barangay certifications, the Comelec is ready should anyone challenge the move before the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Garcia said that given the congested precincts during elections, only one watcher per candidate will be allowed.
“‘Yung mga watcher-watcheran na naka-t-shirt na minsan 50 or 100 sa isang presinto, ‘yan po ay meron kaming presumption ng vote-buying sana po makarating sa amin ang mga reklamong para makasuhan ang mga nag-hire,” Garcia said, as he stressed that if there are 200 precincts, the number of watchers must only be 400.
“Fair warning sa lahat. Ito po ay presumption ng vote-buying pag kumuha ng watchers na sobra sa bilang ng presinto ang mismong kandidato para sa araw ng eleksyon… ipe-presume namin ang kandidato na engaged sa vote-buying,” he added, noting that the excessive number of watchers are just seen loitering engaging in ‘bulong brigade’ or secret campaigning.
Garcia also explained that unlike in the national and local elections where the candidates were only considered as such at the start of the campaign period, the candidates for the BSKE elections are already considered as such the moment they file their certificates of candidacy (COCs) and may be charged with premature campaigning if they engage in any acts promoting their candidacy after COC filing.
