THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator LUISA "LOI" P. EJERCITO ESTRADA 
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EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Essential to the conduct of fair and honest elections is the vote-counting and 
This entails transparency and accessibility of election results 
canvassing process. 
documents containing the records of votes of candidates to all parties and candidates. 
Under existing laws, counting starts at the precinct level wherein the Board of 
Election Inspectors (BEI) conduct a physical counting of ballots, the results of which are 
tallied in the election return (ER). The election return then becomes the primary source 
document used to compute the total number of votes for the city or municipality. 
The present contribution of the six (6) to seven (7) copies of the ERs make the 
basic document inaccessible to all the candidates. Based on past experiences, this has 
been identified as one of the vicious problems that makes the process of consolidation of 
votes at higher levels prone to tampering. Without the complete record of precinct-level 
breakdowns, parties and candidates, who suspect of mistakes and fraud, have no way to 
detect them, much less present concrete evidence to prove fraud. 
This bill offers a simple and practical solution to the technical and procedural 
constraints usually cited to justify the limited number of copies of ERs and their 
distribution. The suggested legal and administrative remedies consist of: (1) revision of 
the format of C.E. Form No. 13, otherwise known as the Certificate of Votes (CoV) to 
make it more comprehensive as a basis of evidence in accordance with R.A. 6646. 
Section 17; (2) allowing the party watchers to prepare the CoV in duplicate, one copy for 
the watcher who prepares it and another copy for the BE1 for record purposes; and (3) 
authentication of the document by all the BE1 members as a necessary safeguard. 
To illustrate the legislative intent of this Act, attached herewith is the proposed 
Revised C.E. Form No. 13. 
Immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LUISA "LOP 
EJERCITO ESTRADA 
enator 


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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
a 
Introduced by Senator LUISA "LOI" P. EJERCCTO ESTRADA . . , . .- 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING THE PREPARATION AND ISSUANCE OF THE CERTIFICATE OF 
VOTES AS REPLICA OF THE ELECTION RETURNS AND PRESCRIBING A 
REVISED C.E. FORM NO. 13, AMENDING FOR THAT PURPOSE SECTION 215 OF 
THE OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE, AS AMENDED BY R.A. NO. 6646, SECTION 16 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
Section 1. Section 215 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, which reads: 
"Section 215. [Board of Election Inspectors to issue a certificate of 
the number of votes polled by the candidates for an office to the watchers.- 
After the announcement of the results of the election and before leaving 
the polling place, it shall be the duty of the board of election inspectors to 
issue a certificate of the number of votes received by a candidate upon 
request of the watchers. All the members of the board of election 
inspectors shall sign the certificate.]": as amended by Republic Act No. 
6646 Section 16, which reads: 
Section 16. [Certification of Votes. - After the counting of the 
votes cast in the precinct and announcement of the results of the election, 
and before leaving the polling place, the board of election inspectors shall 
issue a certificate of votes upon request of the duly accredited watchers. 
The certificate shall contain the number of votes obtained by each 
candidate written in words and figures, the number of the precinct, the 
name of the city or municipality and province, the total number of voters 
who voted in the precinct, and the date and time issued, and shall be 
signed and thumbmarked by each member of the board.]; are hereby 
amended to read as follows: 
"CERTIFICATE OF VOTES. - BEFORE THE START OF THE VOTING, THE 
BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS SHALL ISSUE BLANK FORMS OF 


CERTIFICATE OF VOTES TO ALL THE DULY ACCREDITED WATCHERS 
OF CANDIDATES/PARTIES. 
THE CERTIFICATE OF VOTES SHALL 
CONTAIN: 
(1) 
THE NAME OF THE PROVINCE 
(2) 
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 
(3) 
CITY OR MUNICIPALITY 
(4) 
BARANGAY 
(5) 
PRECINCT NUMBER 
(6) 
ELECTION RETURNS NUMBER 
(7) 
NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS 
(8) 
NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ACTUALLY VOTED 
(9) 
SERIAL NUMBER OF BALLOTS 
(1 0) 
NUMBER OF VALID BALLOTS 
(1 1) 
NUMBER OF SPOILED BALLOTS 
(1 2) 
NAMES OF ALL THE CANDIDATES 
(13) 
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES OBTAINED BY ALL 
CANDIDATES WRITTEN IN WORDS AND FIGURES 
(14) 
THE DATE AND TIME ISSUED 
(15) 
SIGNATURE AND THUMBMARK OF ALL THE 
MEMBERS 
OF 
THE 
BOARD 
OF 
ELECTION 
INSPECTORS 
(16) 
SIGNATURE AND THUMBMARK OF AT LEAST 
THREE 
(3) 
OF 
THE 
ACCREDITED 
PARTY 
WATCHERS, INCLUDING THE WATCHER WHO 
PREPARED THE CERTIFICATE. 
IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT OF THE BLANK FORMS OF 
THE CERTIFICATE AND BEFORE THE START OF VOTING, THE 
ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS SHALL FILL UP THE SPACES 
FOR: 
(1) 
PROVINCE 
(2) 
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 
(3) 
CITY OR MUNICIPALITY 


(4) 
BARANGAY 
( 5 )  
PRECINCT NUMBER 
(6) 
NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS 
(7) 
SERIAL NUMBER OF BALLOTS 
(8) 
NAMES OF ALL THE CANDIDATES. 
AFTER THE CLOSE OF VOTING, THE ACCREDITED PARTY 
WATCHERS SHALL FILL UP THE SPACES FOR: 
(1) 
NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ACTUALLY VOTED 
(2) 
NUMBER 
OF USED, 
SPOILED AND 
UNUSED 
BALLOTS. 
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE COUNTING OF VOTES, THE 
ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS SHALL FILL UP THE SPACES FOR 
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES FOR EACH OF THE CANDIDATES, 
WRITTEN IN WORDS AND FIGURES, FROM THE TALLY BOARD AFTER 
COMPARISON WITH THE FIGURES WRITTEN IN THE ELECTION 
RETURNS. 
BEFORE LEAVING THE POLLING PLACE, THE POLL CLERK 
SHALL COMPARE THE FIGURES THAT APPEAR IN THE CERTIFICATES 
OF VOTES AS AGAINST THOSE IN THE ELECTION RETURNS. AS 
PROOF OF AUTHENTICATION, THE BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS 
SHALL AFFIX THEIR THUMBMARKS ON THE SPACES PROVIDED 
THEREIN. THE CERTIFICATE SHALL ALSO BE SIGNED AND 
THUMBMARKED BY AT LEAST THREE (3) OF THE ACCREDITED 
PARTY WATCHERS, INCLUDING THE WATCHER WHO PREPARED THE 
CERTIFICATE. 
THE CERTIFICATE OF VOTES SHALL BE PREPARED AND 
ACCOMPLISHED IN DUPLICATE. THE ORIGINAL COPY SHALL BE 
I e P T  BY THE WATCHER WHO PREPARED THE CERTIFICATE AND THE 
DUPLICATE SHALL BE RETAINED BY THE POLL CLERK OF THE 
BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS." 


See. 2. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the Act or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly. 
Sec. 4. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the 
date of its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
c:\precy\certificate of votes