黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday that it is mulling whether to remove the barangay certification as a requirement for voter registration.

According to Comelec Chairperson George Garcia, this was due to some incidents in which some citizens attempted to register even though they were still not of voting age.

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鈥淚鈥檒l be very honest sa inyong lahat na pinag-iisipan na ng inyong Commission en banc ang pag-aalis ng barangay certificate bilang requirement sa pagpaparehistro kaya lamang dapat rin nating maisip na baka kasi masabi ng iba nating kababayan lalo 鈥榶ong mga kababayan nating mga mahihirap na wala kasi silang ibang pagkakakilanlan o ilang government-issued ID,鈥� Garcia said in an ambush interview.

(I鈥檒l be very honest with you all. The Comelec en banc is considering whether to remove the barangay certificate as a registration requirement, but we should also bear in mind that some of our fellows, especially the poor, may say that they can鈥檛 register because they don鈥檛 have identification or government-issued IDs.)

Currently, one requirement that the public can present as an identification document is a barangay identification or certification with a photograph.

Garcia, however, added that this speculative rule may be an additional expense for the poor, which can hinder their right to vote.

鈥淥obligahin natin sila, siyempre dagdag na gastos sa kanila 鈥榶on na as compared sa isang barangay certification, so gusto lang natin i-equalizer ang lahat at tatandaan natin, ang pagboto kasi ay isang karapatan,鈥� he added.

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(If we oblige them, of course that鈥檚 an additional expense to them as compared to a barangay certification, so we want to equalize all, as voting is a right.)

The Comelec鈥檚 voter registration will be until September 30, 2024 in anticipation of the 2025 midterm elections.