Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 19) – Nearly 120,000 voters may face election offense cases if proven that they purposely engaged in multiple registrations, the Commission on Election (Comelec) said Monday.
“Ang election offense ay may parusang anim na buwang pagkakakulong. Meron forfeiture of sufferage at perpetual disqualification to hold public office,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said.
[Translation: The election offense is punishable by six months imprisonment, forfeiture of suffrage and perpetual disqualification to hold public office.]
Laudiangco said the probe on multiple registrations on Monday is part of Comelec’s preparation for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
“Meron po diyan almost 120,000 [registrants] na tinitingnan po namin at sinisiyasat namin dahil mukhang sinadya nila na mag rehistro muli,” Laudiangco said during the government-sponsored Laging Handa briefing.
“Meron kaming nakitang gumamit ng ibang pangalan, iniba ang itsura pero pareho ang kanilang fingerprint,” he added.
[Translation: We are looking into 120,000 voters because they seem to purposely registered again. We saw that someone used another name while another changed their appearance but has the same fingerprint.]
The 120,000 registrants under probe are part of the 498,000 voters found to have multiple voter registration.
“Yung sa 498,000, karamihan diyan, ay yung lumipat ng tirahan na hindi nabura yung registration,” Laudiangco said. “Buburahin na namin ito June.”
[Translation: Most of the 498,000 multiple registrants are those who transfer their addresses but their registrations were not deleted.]
Laudiangco said Comelec will undergo another cleansing of registered voters on July 27.
