MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections on Thursday responded to allegations of having “fake voters” register in barangay Carmona in Makati City, saying all new registrants went through the proper process.
In a statement on Thursday, the poll body said all of the over 3,000 new voter registrants appeared before Anthonette Aceret, election officer of the city’s first district. All the applicants showed their proof of identification.
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Aceret said only 11 registrants from Barangay Carmona withdrew their applications and other affidavits of withdrawal were filed in the barangay level, not through Comelec’s Office of the Election Officer in the district.
Comelec added that it has disapproved 963 applications and eight SK voter applications out of the 4,147. Some of those whose registrations were not approved included those who admitted they are not residents of Carmona.
“Other than these, the ERB (Election Registration Board) found that the applications for voter registration in Barangay Carmona were filed by its genuine and actual residents and constituents,” the poll body said, adding that all applicants are required to go through the automated fingerprint identification system to avoid double registrants.
In a May 3 opinion story, The Philippine STAR newspaper columnist Jarius Bondoc wrote that “3,697 fake voters” registered as new voters during the registration period ahead of the October 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, with some 497 of the new registrants reportedly executed their affidavits to withdraw their applications.
They supposedly received P1,000 each just to register, but the poll body said it has not yet received any evidence of such allegations.