ABATEMENT OF SUBSEQUENT REGISTRATION RECORDS OF VOTERS FOUND TO BE DOUBLE/MULTIPLE THROUGH THE AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (AFIS) FOR PURPOSES OF THE OCTOBER 28, 2013, BARANGAY AND SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN (SK) ELECTIONS AND SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS
WHEREAS, currently, the policies governing deletion of double/multiple registration records are found in Resolution No. 9520 (POLICY GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES IN THE DELETION OF AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (AFIS) IDENTIFIED DOUBLE/MULTIPLE REGISTRATION RECORDS IN THE CONCLUDED JULY 9 TO 18, 2012 ARMM GENERAL REGISTRATION OF VOTERS), promulgated on September 13, 2012 and Resolution No. 8882 (CLEANSING OF THE LISTS OF VOTERS THROUGH THE AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT SYSTEM (AFIS), promulgated on May 7, 2010;
WHEREAS, a unified and clear policy on the matter is imperative;
WHEREAS, the Commission to achieve its goal, revisited Minute Resolution No. 00- 1513 (IN THE MATTER OF THE OMNIBUS RESOLUTION ANNULING THE SECOND OR SUBSEQUENT REGISTRATION OF ANY REGISTERED VOTER WHILE HIS FIRST REGISTRATION SUBSISTS) promulgated July 25, 2000;
WHEREAS, the policy laid down in Minute Resolution No. 00 - 1513, when challenged, was upheld by the Supreme Court in the case of Jamela Salic Maruhom versus Commission on Elections and Mohammadali "Mericano A. Abinal (G.R. No. 179430, July 27, 2009), when it ruled that:
"Given Maruhom's double registration in Marawi and Marantao, then COMELEC should determine which registration was valid and which one was null. COMELEC could not consider both registrations valid because it would then give rise to the anomalous situation where Maruhom could vote in two precincts at the same time. This would be a dangerous precedent that would open the floodgates to massive election cheating and fraud. This was precisely the situation that the COMELEC intended to address when it issued its Minute Resolution No. 00 - 1513 on 25 July 2000, seven years prior to the 14 May 2007 elections in which Maruhom intended to run. To foster honesty and credibility in the registration of voters, so as to avoid padding of voter registration, COMELEC laid down the rule in Minute Resolution No. 00- 1513 that while the first registration of any voter subsists, any subsequent registration thereto is void ab initio."
NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission pursuant to the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, Republic Act No. 8189 and other related election laws, RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, as follows:
- To ADOPT the policies laid down in Minute Resolution No. 00 - 1513 in the abatement of double/multiple registration records, that while the first registration of any voter subsist, any subsequent registration thereto is void ab initio;
- To direct the Information Technology Department (ITD) to subject the new applications for registration to the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) in order to weed out double/multiple registration records. Thereafter, provides the Election Officers (EO) with the AFIS results;
- Since subsequent registrations are considered as INVALID, the EOs armed with the AFIS results shall manually cross out from the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL) and the Posted Computerized Voters List (PCVL) the names of voters whose registration records were abated and to indicate on top of the crossed - out names the following annotation "ABATED PER RESOLUTION NO. 9764, followed by the date and signature of the EO;
- The EO shall post the list of names of voters whose records were abated in the bulletin board of his office and in two (2) conspicuous places in the city/municipality;
- To delete the registration records of the said voters from the Voter Registration System (VRS) database, in the next Election Registration Board (ERB) hearings.
Let the Election and Barangay Affairs Department (EBAD) and the Information Technology Department (ITD) implement this Resolution; and the Education and Information Department (EID) shall cause the publication of this Resolution in two (2) daily newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines.
SO ORDERED.