ASIDE from barangay officials, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is also looking at holding accountable individuals who registered as voters using questionable barangay certifications in time for the May 2025 national and local polls.
In a televised public briefing, Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco yesterday said they are looking at the possibility of excluding said registered voters from the voters list.
“The Comelec is looking at how to remove from the list of voters those that are not qualified and used unauthorized barangay certifications (to get registered),” said Laudiangco.
“We will do everything possible to exclude these not qualified individuals who applied and became registered voters,” he added.
He also said they are looking at the possibility of filing petitions for exclusion as provided under the Voter’s Registration Act.
“Under the law, we can file the petition for exclusion before the courts,” said Laudiangco.
Under the law, any registered voter, representative of a political party, or an election officer may file with a regular trial court a sworn petition for the exclusion or removal of a voter from the permanent list of voters.
The move comes on the heels of the surge in the number of registered voters in Cagayan de Oro City.
In Cagayan de Oro City, the Comelec has filed a disqualification case against Barangay Carmen chairman Raineir Joaquin Uy, who is running for congressman of the 1st District of Cagayan de Oro City in the May 2025 polls.
This after Uy allegedly employed the fraudulent scheme of issuing barangay certifications even to non-residents of Barangay Carmen in a bid to give him undue advantage in the next elections.
