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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The accuracy, transparency, and accessibility of the results of the vote-counting and 
canvassing procedures are essential to the conduct of fair, orderly, and honest elections. Thus, 
existing laws provide for the distribution of election results documents containing the records of 
votes of candidates and political parties. 
Two of such election results documents mentioned are the Election Returns (ERs) and the 
Certificate of Votes (CoV). Of the two, the ERs contain the more useful basic electoral data that 
can be used by candidates and political parties to detect frauds since these contain precinct-level 
breakdowns. Unfortunately, the present distribution scheme of ERs make this basic document 
inaccessible to all the candidates and political parties. 
The bill seeks to make the basic electoral data more accessible. The suggested legal and 
administrative remedies consist of: (1) revision of the format of C. C. Form No. 13, otherwise 
lcnown as the Certificate of Votes (CoV), to make it more comprehensive and similar to the ERs; 
(2) allowing the accredited party watchers to prepare the CoV in duplicate; and (3) authentication 
of the document by all the BE1 members and a1 least three accredited party watchers as a 
necessary safeguard.* 
* This bill was originally filed during the Thirteenth Congress, First Regular Session. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S. B. No. 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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 House of Representatives ofthe 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 ofthe results of the election and before leaving the polling place, it 
shall be the duty of the board of election inspectors to issue a ceflificate of the 
number of votes received by the candidate upon request of the watchers. All the 
members of the board of election inspectors shall sigh the certificate.]"; 
as amended by Republic Act No. 6646 Section 16, which reads: 
"Section 16. [Certificate 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 duly accredited watchers. The certificate shall contain the 
number of votes obtained by each candidate written in words and in 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.]; 
is hereby amended to read as follows: 
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“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 CANDIDATESIPARTIES. 
THE CERTIFICATE OF VOTES SHALL CONTAIN: 
THE NAME OF THE PROVINCE 
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 
CITY OR MUNICIPALITY 
BAFUNGAY 
PRECINCT NUMBER 
ELECTION RETURNS NUMBER 
NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS 
NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ACTUALLY VOTED 
NUMBER OF VALID BALLOTS 
NUMBER OF SPOILED BALLOTS 
NAMES OF ALLCANDIDATES 
TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTED OBTAINED BY ALL CANDIDATES 
WRITTEN lN WORDS AND IN FIGURES 
13.) 
14.) 
BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS 
15.) 
SIGNATURE AND THUMBMARK OF AT LEAST HTREE (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 START OF VOTING THE POLL CLERK 
SHALL PROVIDE THE INFORMATIOJN AND HELP THE ACCREDITED 
PARTY WATCHERS SHALL FILL UP THE SPACES FOR: 
1.) 
PROVINCE 
THE DATE AND TIME ISSUED 
SIGNATURE AND THUMBMARK OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE 
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2.) 
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 
3.) 
CITY OR MUNICIPALILTY 
4.) 
BARANGAY 
5.) 
PRECINCT NUMBER 
6.) 
NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS 
7.) 
NAMES OF ALL CANDIDATES 
AFTER THE CLOSE OF VOTING, THE ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS 
WITH THE HELP OF THE POLL CLERK SHALL FILL UP THE SPACES 
FOR 
1 .) 
2.) 
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE COUNTING OF VOTES, THE ACCREDITED 
PARTY WATCHERS SHALL FILL U p  THE SPACES FOR THE TOTAL 
NUMBER OF VOTES FOR EACH CANDIDATE, WRITTEN IIN 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 WHICH 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 SIGNATURES AND THUMBMARKS ON THE SPACES 
PROVIDED THEREJN. THE CERTIFICATE SHALL ALSO BE SIGNED 
AND THUMBMARKED BY AT LEAST THREE (3) OF THE ACCREDITED 
PARTY WATCHERS, INCLUDING THE WATCHERS WHO PREPARED 
THE CERTIFICATE. THE ABSENCE OF CERTIFICATE SHUMBMARKS 
OF THE MEMEBERS OF THE BOARD OF ELECTION INSPCTORS AND 
AT LEAST THREE (3) OF THE ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS, 
INCLUDING THE WATCHERS WHO PREPARED THE CERTIFICATE, 
SHALL VOID THE CERTIFICATE OF VOTES. 
NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ACTUALLY VOTED 
NUMBR OF USED, SPOILED, AND UNUSED BALLOTS. 
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THE 
CERTIFICATE 
OF 
VOTES 
SHALL 
BE 
PREPARED 
AND 
ACCOMPLISHED IN DUPLICATE. THE ORIGINAL COPY SHALL BE 
KEPT BY THE WATCHER WHO PREPARED THE CERTIFICATE AND THE 
DUPLICATE SHALL BE RETAINED BY THE POLL CLERK OF THE 
BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS. IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF THE 
POLL CLERK TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED 
IN THE CERTIFICATE OF VOTES ARE VALID AND CORRECT. 
SECTION 2. Sepumbility Clause. - If any provision or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder if the law or provision not otherwise affected shall remain valid 
and subsisting. 
SECTION 3. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, rule or regulation contrary to, or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby 
repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
SECTION 4. Efectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (156) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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