NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
Senate Bill No.
fell fe-enarr
of tijr ptMl’iJ
■22 JUL 12 A9:12
Rr.CBVEDGY.
Introduced by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 185 OF THE OMNIBUS 
ELECTION CODE, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
7904, BY ABOLISHING THE PRINTING OF THE VOTERS 
INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTION SHEET
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Every election period, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 
spends millions of pesos in the printing and the sending or mailing of 
sample ballots, voter information and instruction sheets (VIIS), and 
lists of candidates which Section 185 of the Omnibus Election Code of 
the Philippines, as amended by Republic Act No. 7904, requires to be 
furnished to all registered voters.
And with 65,000,000 registered voters, this is a lot of money. And 
with the advancement of information and communications technology, 
may be avoided.
All the information which the law intends to be delivered to the 
individual voter can be done, in a much cheaper way, by taking 
advantage of mass media, electronic or digital means, and even the 
common-sense idea of posting these (non-personal) documents 
conspicuously in public places frequented by the public.


Issues on delayed and incomplete distribution of and errors in the
p/ ;S. ™ar every election. In the May 13, 2019 National and Local 
ns, errors m the VIIS were discovered prior to the polls which
-'I "S °f'he N‘“'°nal Prm,ta§ in Partnership w'lh a 
d rnr8 C0mpany• a2ig iSSUe' Fon"er Comelec Commissioner
nf^r.20" eVe” Sa " C0Uld haVe Caused cllaos PPsriMo
d,l!l,‘iL n!!’'K ‘TK !".“IS if ,llC errors were ""I immediately
. . . ,■ „ ^US’ t*ie Comelec en banc stopped delivery of the
materials before the polls1, which wasted Php 244,000,000 of the 
Filipmo People’s money. In the May 9, 2022 National’ and Local 
Elections, while some may have had the benefit of receiving the VIIS
srdL ofTherme.0fOUr reglStCred V°terS Stl11 dld n0t See even a
Recently, with the ballot templates showing the complete list of 
candidates per region already posted in the Comelec website, and the 
ections Precinct Finder website already in place to confirm the 
voters status as well as the location of their voting precinct, it is no 
longer necessary to furnish every voter a printed copy of the VIIS.
finH Ihe ™de;;signed believes that the national government should 
find ways to reduce unnecessary expenses and therefore save money 
This IS one way to do it. 
jnuncy.
f -!yWe can pass this bill into law, then we can start saving hundreds
ofmilhons of pesos immediately.
To reduce unnecessary government spending, the passage of this 
measure is earnestly sought. 
6
AQUIDINO “KOKO” PIMENT
vv>
EL III
......... .....................


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 308
)
/7
if
of li!C Jifi'rirtnrp
'22 JUL 12 A9 :12
ri-:ce!v:d 3
Introduced by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
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AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 185 OF THE OMNIBUS 
ELECTION CODE, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO 
7904, BY ABOLISHING THE PRINTING OF THE VOTERS 
INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTION SHEET
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Section 185 of the Omnibus Election Code, as 
amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:
Qfficial Sample Ballots. — The Commission shall 
provide the board of election inspectors with official sample
bilots at tbe rate °f thirty (30) ballots per polling place. The 
official sample ballots shall be printed on colored paper, in all 
respects like the official ballots but bearing instead the words 
Official Sample Ballot’ to be shown to the public and used in 
demonstrating how to fill out and fold the official ballots 
properly. No name of any actual candidate shall be written on the 
spaces for voting on the official sample ballots provided by the 
Commission, nor shall they be used for voting.
At least thirty (30) days before an election, it shall be the duty of 
the Commission on Elections to [furnish every registered voter 
through registered mail with return card, personal service with 
eorrespondmg receipt to be signed by the voter or any person who


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knows the voter, or any other practicable means with an unfilled 
official sample ballot, voter information sheet,] PUBLICIZE 
THE UNFILLED OFFICIAL SAMPLE BALLOT 
THROUGH BROADCAST, DIGITAL, ELECTRONIC OR 
ONLINE MEDIA, AS WELL AS POST THE SAME 
INFORMATION AT CONSPICUOUS PUBLIC AREAS IN 
EVERY BARANGAY DURING THE NATIONAL AND 
LOCAL ELECTIONS, INCLUDING BARANGAY AND 
SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN ELECTIONS, mid [a] THE 
list of all registered [national, provincial and city] candidates to 
be voted in the said election. [The information sheet shall include 
the voter s name, address, the precinct and the place where he is 
registered, and simplified instructions as to the casting of votes.] 
The names of the candidates shall be listed in alphabetical order 
under their respective party affiliation, IF ANY [and a one-line 
statement not to exceed three (3) words of their occupation or 
profession]: Provided, however. That in the [printing] POSTING 
of the names of the candidates for national offices, the 
alphabetical order shall be democratized SUCH THAT NAMES 
OF CANDIDATES ARE SHOWN IN EQUAL 
PROMINENCE, [so that the listed names shall be made in three 
(3) columns: the first column shall commence with the letter A 
and end with the letter Z; the second column shall commence with 
the letters T-Z’ and thereafter - ‘ A-H’ and the third column shall 
commence with the letters ‘Q-Z’ and thereafter ‘A-P’. These 
information may be contained in a single sheet or booklet form, 
and the number and location of the voters’ polling place shall be 
prominently indicated therein.] Persons nominated under the 
party-list system SHALL likewise be included in the 
abovementioned list.”
SEC. 2. The information to be publicized or posted under Section 
1 of this Act shall be in any of the official languages of the Republic of 
the Philippines or in the dialect understood by a majority of the voters 
in the region where the information is directed.


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SEC.^.Repealing Clause.-AW laws, decrees, orders, issuances, 
rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this 
Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 4. Ejfectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) 
newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,