Comelec scraps barangay certs for voter reg, accepts other IDs

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Thursday that barangay certificates will no longer be required for voter registration in the Philippines.

Chairman George Garcia stated this change is being made to prevent corrupt village officials from misusing these documents and following recent investigations into large-scale voter registration transfers involving up to 30,000 residents.

Comelec will now accept alternative forms of identification such as postal ID, senior citizen's ID, student's ID, and other government-issued valid IDs for the July 1 to 11 voter registration period for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

Garcia noted that some unscrupulous officials have manipulated barangay certificates to transfer voters between barangays.

The exclusion of barangay certificates as proof of residency will also be implemented during the planned voter registration next year for the 2028 presidential elections.

Comelec is set to open voter registration for the BSKE, expecting around one million Filipinos to register and plans to expand their Register Anywhere Program and offsite mall voting program.

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