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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
Second Regular Session 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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S E N A T E  
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s. NO. 3 2 3 2  
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
With the 201 0 Presidential Elections fast-approaching, it is but incumbent 
upon all of us to do our part in making this historic event a success by making 
sure each vote counts. 
The advent of biometrics in the registration of new voters prior to the 2004 
Presidential Elections was a big step in protecting the votes of the people by 
eliminating, if not trimming, the probability of having multiple registrants among 
first-time voters. 
This bill seeks to purge the records of the Commission on Elections of 
multiple registrants and ghost voters used by opportunists and election cheaters 
by requiring registered voters whose biometrics have not been captured to 
appear before the Election Officer of their place of registration to have their 
photographs, fingerprints and signature taken so as to update the Commission 
on Elections of the eligible and active electorate and determine fraudulent 
registrants. 
In view of the foregoing, early passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
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MANUEL * L L 1 + 8 ~ ~  
M. LAPlD ' 
Senator 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING ALL REGISTERED VOTERS WHOSE BIOMETRICS HAVE NOT BEEN 
CAPTURED TO APPEAR BEFORE THE ELECTION OFFICER OF THEIR PLACE OF 
REGISTRATION FOR 
PURPOSES OF 
HAVING 
THEIR 
PHOTOGRAPHS, 
FINGERPRINTS AND SIGNATURES CAPTURED THROUGH THE METHOD OF 
BIOMETRICS, FOR PURPOSES OF ENSURING THAT THE AUTOMATED 
FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (AFIS) CAN BE UTILIZED TO CLEANSE 
THE RECORDS OF DOUBLE OR MULTIPLE REGISTRANTS 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to establish a clean, 
complete, permanent and updated list of voters through the adoption of biometric technology. 
SEC. 2. 
Definition of Terms. -As used in this Act: 
(a) "Commission" refers to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). 
(b) "Biometrics" refers to the quantitative analysis that provides a positive identification 
of an individual such as voice, fingerprint andlor picture. 
(c) "Data Capture Machine (DCM)" is the device which captures the picture, fingerprint 
and signature of a registered voter. 
(d) "Deactivation" refers to the temporary removal of a registered voter from the 
Registration Record of Voters for failure to appear before the appropriate Election 
Officer for validation despite notice. 
(e) "DoublelMultiple registration" is the registration of a voter in more that one (1) city or 
municipality. 
(9 "Election Registration Board refers to the body constituted pursuant to Republic Act 
No. 8189 (otherwise known as "The Voter's Registration Act of 1996) to act.on all 
applications for registration. 
(9) "Election Officer" refers to the highest official or authorized representative of the 
Commission in the city or municipality. 
(h) "Reactivation" refers to the reinstatement of a registered voter who had been 
deactivated from the Registration Records of Voters. 


(i) "Registration Record refers to the application for registration duly approved by the 
Election Registration Board. 
(j) "Validation" is the process of taking the biometrics such as photograph, fingerprint 
and signature of a registered voter through the use of a DCM. 
SEC. 3. Who shall submit for Validation. - Those registered voters as of October 29, 
2007 barangay elections and those who thereafter registered and will register under Republic 
Act No. 8189 (otherwise known as "The Voter's Registration Act of 1996") without biometrics 
data shall submit for live capture hislher photograph, fingerprint and signature through the use 
of DCM before the Election Officer of the citylmunicipality where he/she is a registered voter or 
intends to register. 
SEC. 4. 
Who Shall Conduct the Validation. - The CitylMunicipal Election Officer, 
through the use of DCMs shall conduct the validation process by taking the biometrics of voters. 
SEC. 5. Period for Validation. -Validation shall be conducted upon the effectivity of this 
Act, consistent with the Continuing Registration Act. 
SEC. 6. Schedule of ValidationlRegistration. -The Commission may consider opening 
its offices nationwide on any given Saturday to accommodate new registrants especially college 
students who are only free during the weekends. 
SEC. 7. Notice. - The City/Municipal Election Officer shall serve individual written 
notices to the voters according to their latest address found in the voter's registration record, 
notice by publication in five (5) newspapers of general circulation and two (2) local papers in 
every city and province and in some radio broadcast the statement about the need to register 
the voters. 
SEC. 8. 
Deactivation. -Voters who failed to submit for validation on or before the 
last day of filing of application for registration for purposes of the 2013 national and local 
elections, despite due notice, shall be deactivated from the registration record of the voters by 
the Election Registration Board. 
SEC. 9. 
Reactivation. - Those deactivated under the preceding section may apply 
before the Election Registration Board for reactivation with simultaneous validation and the 
applicant shall, if eligible, be included as a matter of right in the Registration Record of Voters. 
SEC. 10. 
Use of Biometrics in the Voting Process. - The Commission shall 
establish a system wherein the electronic data generated by biometric registration shall be 
available to Election Officers at the precinct level for them to verify the identity of a voter. 
SEC. 11. 
Computerized Nationwide Voter Registration List Requirements. - The 
Commission shall implement, in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner, a single, official, 
centralized, interactive computerized voter registration list defined, maintained and administered 
by the Commission that contains the name and registration information of every legally 
registered voter and assigns a unique identifier to each legally registered voter and includes the 
following: (a) the computerized list shall serve as the single system for storing and managing the 
official list of registered voters throughout the country; (b) the computerized list contains the 
name and registration information of every legally registered voter; (c) under the computerized 
list a unique identifier is assigned to each legally registered voter; (d) the computerized list shall 
be coordinated with other agency databases; (e) any authorized election official, including any 
local election official, may obtain immediate electronic access to the information contained in the 
computerized list; and (9 all voter registration information obtained by any local election official 
shall be electronically entered into the computerized list on an expedited basis at the time the 
information is provided to the local official. 


SEC. 12. Voter's List Cleansing. - Any registered party may file with the Commission 
the names of the voters which should be excluded, removed or corrected from the computerized 
nationwide registration lists stating the reasons thereof. 
SEC. 13. Database Security. - The database generated by biometric registration shall 
be secured by the Commission and shall not be used, under any circumstance, for any other 
purpose other than for electoral exercises. 
SEC. 14. Prohibited Acts. - The following shall be election offenses punishable under 
Sections 263 and 264 of Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, as amended (otherwise known as the 
"Omnibus Election Code"): 
(a) Any person who shall prohibit, impede, obstruct or prevent a registered voter from 
submitting hislher biometrics for data capture through the use of force, intimidation or 
monetary consideration; 
(b) Any public official or person who, under the guise of implementing this Act, shall 
unjustifiably and without or lacking due process, cause the deactivation or 
reactivation of any legitimate and bonafide registered voter from the Registration 
Record of Voters; 
(c) Any person who attempts to engage in double or multiple registration for the purpose 
of voting in several precincts; and 
(d) Any person who attempts to register in a polling place where he/she is not a bonafide 
and registered resident. 
SEC. 15. Rules and Regulations. -The Commission shall promulgate the rules and 
regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 16. Separability Clause. - If any part of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, 
the other parts or provisions hereof shall remain valid and effective. 
SEC. 17. 
Repealing Clause. -All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,