The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said it would conduct a probe on the sudden increase of voters, who transferred from one locality to another during the voters’ registration period.
In a press briefing, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the poll body observed a number of voters, particularly in Makati City, Cagayan de Oro and Nueva Ecija, transferring their residence to another district using barangay certificates as proof of identifications or IDs.
“It’s OK to move residences; that’s not illegal because the Constitution guarantees the right to travel and liberty of the abode. But this development is puzzling because suddenly, there’s a 40 percent increase in the number of voters applying to transfer to other places,” Garcia said.
Garcia said this unusual event must be immediately investigated because these voters who transferred could be followers of certain political candidates.
The poll chief will ask the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate the negligence of some barangays in the issuance of barangay certifications that leads to irregular voter transfers.
“The use of barangay certification as proof of residence can be abused by local officials during elections,” Garcia said.
The call for a probe was triggered by the observation of the United Nationalists Alliance of Sen. Nancy Binay, who is running for Makati City mayor in next year’s elections.
She questioned before the Comelec the validity of the qualifications of 3,000 registrants in the second district and 79 more in the first district.
Similar irregularities were observed in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Cagayan de Oro and Batangas, according to Comelec.
