REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
‘Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

House Bill No.

~~ Introduced by MAGDALO Party List Representative
Hon. Gary C. Alejano

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Executive Order No. 157 (E.O. 157) was the first piece of legislation that provided for a system
of local absentee voting. In Section 7 thereof, for the purpose of the 1987 Congressional
Election, absentee voting was only applied to the elections for Senator

In 1991, Section 12 of Republic Act No. 7166 (RA 7166), otherwise known as the
"Synchronized National and Local Elections and Electoral Reforms Act”, expanded the coverage
of EO 157 by including the positions of President and Vice-President in the positions to be voted
for under the local absentee voting. Hence, under RA. 7166, local absentee voting is specifically
limited to the elections for President, Vice-President, and Senators.

In 1995, Republic Act No. 7941 (RA 7941), otherwise known as the "Party-List System Act”
was enacted into luw, paving the way for the first Party-List Elections in 1998. Without any
amendment being made to Section 12 of RA 7166, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC)
included Party-List Representatives among the positions to be voted for under local absentee
voting. White it is correct, in principle, to allow local absentee voters to elect Party-List
Representatives since they are voted at large, itis submitted that the same should have been done
through an amendment of RA 7166 and not through a resolution of the COMELEC.

‘This bill seeks therefore to institutionalize the inclusion of Party-List Representatives among the
positions to be voted on under the local absentee voting by proposing an amendment to Section
12 of RA 7166 by including therein Purty-List Representatives as one of the positions to be voted
for under the system of local absentee voting.

P. GARY &. ALEJANO



REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

Second Regular Session
6631
House Bill No,

Introduced by MAGDALO Party List Representative
Hon. Gary C. Alejano

AN ACT
TO INCLUDE PARTY-LIST REPRESENTATIVE IN THE LIST OF PUBLIC
OFFICERS TO BE ELECTED UNDER THE LOCAL ABSENTEE VOTING,
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 12 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7166,
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS, “AN ACT PROVIDING FOR SYNCHRONIZED
NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS AND FOR ELECTORAL REFORMS,
AUTHORIZING APPROPRIATIONS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

Be it enacted in the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled

SECTION 1. Section 12 of Republic Act No. 7166 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Section 12. Absentee Voting. - Absentee voting as provided for in Executive Order No.
157 dated March 30, 1987 shall apply to the elections for President, Vice-President, [and]
Senators, AND PARTY-LIST REPRESENTATIVE only and shall be limited w
members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police and
other government officers and employees who are duly registered voters and who, on
election day. may temporarily be assigned in connection with the performance of election
duties to places where they are not registered voters.”

SEC. 2. Separability Clause - Should any provision of this Act be declared invalid or
anconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this
Act.

SEC. 3. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, resolutions,
rules and regulations, or any part thercof contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 4. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in

two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,