Senator Imee R Marcos has filed a resolution calling for a Senate inquiry into the alleged fraudulent voter registration for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.
In her resolution, Marcos cited persistent problems with “flying voters” or voters registered in multiple precincts, as well as those who are not bona fide residents of the place where they are registered. Despite the efforts of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to enforce the law, these issues continue to plague the electoral process.
The resolution also referenced a report from 31 March 2022, in which COMELEC detected 892,627 double registrations for the 2022 National and Local Elections.
Former COMELEC Commissioner George Erwin M. Garcia stated that charges would be filed against double or multiple registrants and noted that “good faith” is not a valid defense in election cases.
An online article published by the Philippine Star on May 3, 2023 entitled “Are Fake Voters invading your barangay like this one?” reported massive increases in the number of registered voters in some barangays, far exceeding the projected population growth forecasted by government agencies.
One such instance involved Barangay Carmona in Makati City, where the number of registered voters and registration applicants surged by 78%, from just 4,718 registered voters during the 2022 elections to 8,415 for the upcoming 2023 Barangay Elections. Barangay Carmona chairman Joselito M. Salvador attested that there was neither a recent mass migration of new residents into the barangay nor an increase in its territory, leaving the sharp rise in numbers unaccounted for.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, Marcos stated that “there is an urgent need to revisit existing [laws and regulations] to ensure that our electoral process remains free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible.”