COMELEC Execs to be Axed for Botched Ballot Secrecy Folder Deal

MANILA, Philippines – A number of Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials are facing administrative sanctions for their alleged involvement in the botched P689.7-million ballot secrecy folder deal.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said that upon the recommendation of the legal department, the commission is ready to impose sanctions on those found guilty of involvement in the irregularity.

“The report will be submitted to us then we will decide based on the recommendation if we should penalize administratively those found guilty,” Sarmiento said.

He added that the Comelec is expecting the legal department headed by lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan to submit the report today.

The commissioner also hinted that the poll body is ready to reprimand the three-man investigation team headed by Rafanan if it fails anew to submit its findings today.

“I think we will decide accordingly because people are asking about the status of this investigation. We will ask the committee to fast-track the investigation because so many extensions have been given to them,” Sarmiento said.

Rafanan’s team was supposed to submit the report last week, but Sarmiento said the panel once again requested for an extension until today to complete their report on the controversy.

Earlier, the commission tasked the panel to probe the cancelled procurement of more than 1.8 million ballot secrecy folders worth P380 each from OTC Paper Supply.

The poll body intended to use the special folders in the last May polls, but eventually decided to use ordinary folders.

Poll body officials previously reported that some of their people are being investigated and the investigation panel is looking into their relationship with OTC. - By Mayen Jaymalin (Philstar News Service)

Resolution No. 9005 - Guideline for the Continuing Voter Registration (4)

Sec. 4. ERB Hearing for the Purpose of Cleansing the Lists of Voters. – In order to implement Resolutions No. 8791, 8817 and 8882 and other policies of the Commission in cleansing the lists of voters, the ERB shall convene on July 12, 2010 for the purpose of [1] abatement of double/multiple registrants, [2] deactivation of registration records of voters who failed to vote twice in the two preceding successive elections, [3] cancellation of registration records by reason of death, and [4] reactivation of registration records of those voters who were erroneously deactivated in the previous registration period.

For this reason, there shall be no deactivation of voters registration records on the ground of failure to vote twice in the two (2) preceding successive elections during the August 20, 2010 ERB hearing.  Subject to the exception provided in the preceding statement, abatement, deactivation based on other grounds and cancellation of registration records by reason of death occurring after July 12, 2010, may still be given due course in the August 20, 2010 ERB hearing and other hearings that will be set thereafter.

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Resolution No. 9005 - Guidelines to Continuing Voter Registration (3)

SEC. 3. Date, time and place of filing of applications; hearing and approval/disapproval. – 

Applications for registration, transfer of registration records, reactivation and changes/corrections of entries in the registration records/inclusion of registration records/ reinstatement of name in the list of voters shall be personally filed at the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) of the district/city/municipality where the applicant resides from Mondays to Sundays, from 8:00 o’clock in the morning to 7:00 o’clock in the evening.  The applications shall be heard by the Election Registration Board (ERB) at the OEO, in accordance with the following schedule:

Period to file applications	Last day to post Notice of Hearing	Last day to file opposition to the applications for registration/transfer of registration records	Hearing/ Approval/ Disapproval of Applications
August 4, 2010 to August 13, 2010*	August 16, 2010	August 18, 2010	August 20, 2010

[*as amended by COMELEC Res. No. 9007, promulgated July 24, 2010]

The Election Officer (EO) shall adopt a system of processing applications to speed up the registration process, minimize queuing and, avoid inconvenience.  Preferential treatment or express lane shall be provided to the elderly, persons with disability, and pregnant women.

In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Provincial Election Supervisors shall, upon the report of the Election Officers, taking into account the existence of Ridos (family feuds) between and among families residing in different barangays or the lack of a municipal hall or where the house of the Mayor serves as the Municipal Hall, recommend the transfer of venue or the establishment of sub-offices for purposes of registration, preferably in areas accessible to all prospective voters and/or within the same office/compound of other government offices, which shall be within the same municipality.

Notices of the location of the sub-office and date of registration shall be posted in five (5) conspicuous places of the municipality and the concerned barangays and furnished to the Election and Barangay Affairs Department (EBAD).

No transfer of venue or establishment of sub-offices shall be made without the approval of the Commission En Banc.

Further, there shall be no satellite registration in the non-ARMM areas.

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Resolution No. 9005 - Guidelines for the Continuing Voter Registration (10)

Sec. 10. Procedure for filing of Applications for Reactivation. – Any registered voter whose registration has been deactivated based on any of the grounds provided under Sec. 27 of R. A. No. 8189 and those deactivated in the last continuing registration of voters may request for the reactivation of his registration record by personally accomplishing in three (3) copies, both sides of the prescribed application form hereto attached as Annex “E” (CEF-1C-Application for Reactivation).

The EO shall verify in his local database the record of the applicant, using the DCS Utilities program.  The EO shall use the old application form number and direct the applicant to the DCM Operator.

a) If the record has complete biometrics, i.e. it has photograph, fingerprints and signature, using the DCS, the DCM Operator shall:

1.   Select File -> Others

2.   Type the last name, first name and maternal name in the space provided and then click SEARCH button or leave the fields blank and click on SEARCH button.

3.   Right-click the record of the applicant in the list

4.   Click REACTIVATION

5.   Save the record

After ERB approval, the applicant’s record shall be reactivated in the city/ municipality local database.

b) If the record has incomplete biometrics, i.e. any of the biometrics is not present, using the DCS, the DCM operator shall:

1.   Select File -> Others

2.   Type the last name, first name and maternal name in the space provided and then click SEARCH button or leave the fields blank and click on SEARCH button.

3.   Right-click the record of the applicant in the list

4.   Click REACTIVATION WITH BIOMETRICS CAPTURE

5.   Capture the biometrics information of the applicant

6.   Save the record

After ERB approval, the old record of the applicant shall contain biometrics data and shall be reactivated.

After completion thereof, the EO shall cut the bottom portion of one copy of the application form and give it to the applicant to serve as Acknowledgment Receipt and proof of filing his application.

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Guidelines for the Continuing Voter Registration (9)

Sec. 9. Procedure for filing of Applications for transfer of registration records within the same city/municipality. – Any voter who has changed his address in the same city or municipality may apply for transfer of his/her registration record to the precinct book of voters of his/her new precinct by accomplishing CEF-1B (Application for Transfer).

The EO shall verify in his local database the record of the applicant, using the DCS utilities program.  The EO shall use the old application form number of the applicant and direct the applicant to the DCM Operator.

a) If the record has complete biometrics, i.e. it has photograph, fingerprints and signature, using the DCS, the DCM operator shall:

1.   Select File -> Others

2.   Type the last name, first name and maternal name in the space provided and then click SEARCH button or leave the fields blank and click on SEARCH button.

3.   Right-click the record of the applicant in the list

4.   Click TRANSFER WITH BIOMETRICS

5.   Edit the address and precinct number fields

6.   Save the record

After ERB approval, the place of residence and precinct number of the applicant’s record shall be changed to his current address and precinct assignment.

b) If the record has incomplete biometrics, i.e. any of the biometrics is not present, using the DCS, the DCM operator shall:

1.   Select File - > Others

2.   Type the last name, first name and maternal name in the space provided and then click SEARCH button or leave the fields blank and click on SEARCH button.

3.   Right-click the record of the applicant in the list

4.   Click TRANSFER WITHOUT BIOMETRICS

5.   Edit the address and precinct number fields

6.   Capture the biometrics information of the applicant

7.   Save the record

After ERB approval, the place of residence and precinct number of the applicant’s record shall be changed to his current address and precinct assignment and the biometrics will be included in his record.

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Resolution No. 9005 - Procedure for Filing of Application for Transfer of VRR from Another District/City/Municipality

SEC. 8. Procedure for filing of application for transfer of registration records from another district/city/municipality. – Any registered voter who has transferred residence to another district/city/municipality, at least six (6) months before the October 25, 2010 elections, may apply for transfer of his/her registration record by personally appearing before the EO of his new residence.

The EO shall verify from the National List of Registered Voters (NLRV) if the applicant’s name is included in said list.  If the applicant’s name is not included in the NLRV, the EO shall verify if the applicant’s name is included in the National List of Deactivated Voters (NLDV).

a.  If applicant’s name is included in the National List of Registered Voters or in the National List of Deactivated Voters -

The EO shall give the applicant three (3) copies of the prescribed application form hereto attached as Annex “C” (CEF-1B – Application for Transfer/Application for Transfer with Reactivation).  The applicant shall thereafter accomplish said application form separately in three (3) copies subject to Section 5 hereof.

It is important that the EO shall check the box corresponding to the appropriate type of application.  In the assignment of precinct number and Application Form Number, the EO shall follow the procedure provided in Sec. 5 (c) hereof.

Using the DCS, the DCM Operator shall:

1. Select File -> Registration
2. Click on Transfer from other municipality/city radio button
3. Encode demographics information and capture the biometrics data of the applicant
4. Save the record

He shall then affix his/her initial below the space provided for the EO’s signature in Part 2 of the application form.

The application for transfer of registration records to another district/municipality shall be subject to the requirements of notice and hearing and the action of the ERB.

Once the application is approved, the EO shall notify of said approval the EO of origin by registered mail.  Only a notice of approval, duly signed by the EO as Chairman of the ERB, reflecting the name, birth date, place of birth, current address, old precinct assignment/barangay/city of the applicant-transferee shall be sent, without need of the copy of the approved application for transfer.  Upon receipt of said notice, the EO of origin shall remove the voter’s registration record from the corresponding precinct book of voters and delete the name of the voter from the district/city/municipal list of voters.

b.  If the applicant’s name is not included in the National List of Registered Voters nor in the National List of Deactivated Voters –

The EO shall first require the applicant to show proof of his registration.  In this aspect, a showing of a Comelec ID or a Certification from the EO of former place of registration will suffice as evidence of previous registration.  Upon such showing of proof, the EO shall issue an application for transfer.  A facsimile copy of the proof shall be attached to the application.

In the absence of proof that the applicant is a registered voter, the EO shall advise the applicant to file an application for registration.  The EO shall thereafter issue the prescribed application form (CEF-1A – Application for Registration) to the applicant, who shall accomplish said form in accordance with Section 6 hereof.  In addition, the EO shall issue to the applicant a Certification (sample form attached as Annex “D”) stating that the applicant intended to apply for transfer but he/she was instead advised to apply for original registration, for want of proof that he/she is a registered voter of another district/city/municipality.

The DCM operator shall perform the procedure for capturing demographics and biometrics as stated in Section 5(h) hereof.

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