FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Richard J. Gordon 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Republic Act No. 8189, otherwise known as the Voter's Registration Act of 1996, was 
enacted to systematize the method of voter registration and to establish a clean, complete, 
permanent and updated list of voters. It imposes a system of registration through, the 
accomplishment and filing of a sworn application by a qualified voter before the election 
officer of the city or municipality of his residence. 
Under the regime of paper registration, however, the Philippine electoral system has 
suffered a huge loss in credibility due to massive cheating in the voting and canvassing 
process. The enactment of Republic Act No. 9369 or the Revised Automated Election 
System Law has sought to address these problems. But RA 9369 by its very nature will only 
make possible the eradication of wholesale cheating, or what is known in the vernacular as 
"dagdag-bawas". As the 2008 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao 
showed, irregularities in the voting process have remained even with the use of automated 
machines. It is said that the presence of flying or ghost voters, or underage or other 
ineligible voters, has remained prevalent because of insufficient safeguards to reliably 
identify voters. 
To computerize the registration process, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) 
has sought to capture the biometric information of all voters under the Automated 
Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). Several years after the program was begun, 
however, the AFIS has not been fully utilized due to lack of budget, among other reasons. 
In the meantime, the current voter's list contains only the biometric information of a 
small portion of all registered voters nationwide. This bill proposes to amend RA 8189 by 
requiring the submission by new registrants or voters previously registered under the old 
application procedure of their biometric information. 
Furthermore, history shows that the short prohibitive period for the conduct of 
registration of voters leaves the Commission insufficient time to prepare and undertake 
post-registration activities such as hearing by the Election Registration Board (ERBIBoard), 
and preparation and posting of the certified list of voters. For this reason, allegations of 
missing names of voters persist every election. To address this situation, extension of the 
prohibitive period for the conduct of voter registration is also proposed. 


The Commission is constitutionally and statutorily charged with the cleansing of. the 
list of voters based on its broad administrative powers. This should be explicitly provided for 
by a provision on administrative deletion of double or multiple registrants. 
All these efforts are expected to lead to credible, clean, and orderly presidential 
elections on May 10, 2010. For the foregoing 
earnestly sought. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENATE 
/ 
S. No. 
\ 
Introduced by Senator Richard J. Gordon 
AN ACT 
AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8189, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR A GENERAL REGISTRATION OF VOTERS, ADOPTING A SYSTEM 
OF CONTINUING REGISTRATION, PRESCRIBING THE PROCEDURES THEREOF 
AND AUTHORIZING THE APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THEREFOR” 
Be if enacted by the Senate and the House of Represenfafives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 7 of Republic Act No. 8189 is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
“Section 7. General Registration of Voters. [Immediately after the 
barangay elections in 1997, the existing certified list of voters shall cease to 
be effective and operative.] For purposes of the [May] 2010 [I9981 
PRESIDENTIAL elections and all elections, plebiscites, referenda, initiatives, 
and recalls subsequent thereto, the Commission shall undertake a 
MANDATORY general registration of voters before the Board of Election 
Inspectors WITHIN SIX MONTHS FROM THE EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT 
[on June 14, 15, 21, and 22 and, subject to the discretion of the Commission, 
on June 28 and 29, 2009 [I9971 in accordance with this Act.] 
SEC. 2. A new subsection 7.1 is hereby added to Section 7 of the same Act, 
to read as follows: 
“SEC. 7.1. AUTHORlTY TO USE THE AUTOMATED GENERAL 
REGlSTRATlON SYSTEM OF VOTERS. - TO CARRY OUT THE ABOVE- 
STATED POLICY, THE COMMISSION IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED TO USE 
THE 
APPROPRIATE 
MULTI-BIOMETRICS 
OR 
AUTOMATED 
FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (AFIS) FOR THE AUTOMATED 
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GENERAL REGISTRATION SYSTEM OF VOTERS. THEREAFTER, THE 
COMPUTER-GENE RATED VOTER REGISTRATION RECORD SHALL BE 
THE COMMISSION’S OFFICIAL CERTIFIED VOTERS LIST (CVL). 
SEC. 3. Section 8 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“Section 8. System of Continuing Registration of Voters. The 
personal filing of application of registration of voters shall be conducted daily 
in the office of the Election Officer during regular office hours. No registration 
shall, however, be conducted during the period starting one hundred FIFTY 
(150) [twenty (120)] days before a regular election and ONE HUNDRED 
TWENTY (120) [ninety (go)] days before a special election. 
SEC. 4. Section 9 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“Section 9. Who may Register. All citizens of the Philippines not 
otherwise disqualified by law who are at least eighteen (18) years of age, and 
who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one (1) year, and in the 
place wherein they propose to vote, for at least six (6) months immediately 
preceding the election, may register as a voter; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, 
THAT IN NO CASE SHALL ANY PERSON RESIDING IN A PROPERTY 
BELONGING TO ANOTHER BE ALLOWED TO REGISTER WITHOUT 
PRESENTING ANY PROOF OF LEGAL RESIDENCE ATTESTED BY THE 
PUNONG BARANGAY OF THE PLACE WHEREIN HE PROPOSES TO 
VOTE; PROVIDED, FURTHER, THAT THE PUNONG BARANGAY SHALL 
VERIFY AND KEEP THE RECORD OF THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF 
RESIDENTS IN A PARTICULAR PROPERTY OR DWELLING UNIT. 
AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE TERM ‘PROOF OF LEGAL 
RESIDENCE’ SHALL REFER TO A CERTIFICATION FROM THE 
LANDOWNER OR LESSOR OF A RESIDENTIAL UNIT, APARTMENT, 
CONDOMINIUM, DORMITORY OR SIMILAR DWELLING UNIT WHERE 
THE APPLICANT HAS RESIDED FOR A PERIOD PRESCRIBED UNDER 
THIS SECTION. 
“Any person who temporarily resides in another city, municipality or 
country solely by reason of his occupation, profession, employment in private 
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lost his original residence. 
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or public service, educational activities, work in the military or naval 
reservations within the Philippines, service in the Armed Forces of the 
Philippines, the National Police Forces, or confinement or detention in 
government institutions in accordance with law, shall not be deemed to have 
"Any person, who, on the day of registration may not have reached the required age 
or period of residence but, who, on the day of the election shall possess such qualifications, 
may register as a voter." 
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SEC. 5. Section 10 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 10. Registration of Voters. A qualified voter shall be 
registered in the permanent list of voters in a precinct of the city or 
municipality wherein he resides to be able to vote in any election. To register 
as a voter, he shall personally SUBMIT HIMSELF FOR VALIDATION BY A 
BIOMETRICS CAPTURE [accomplish an application form for registration as 
prescribed by the Commission in three (3) copies] before the Election Officer 
on any date during office hours after having acquired the qualifications of a 
voter. 
"The VALIDATION [application] shall contain the following data: 
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a) Name, surname, middle name, andlor maternal surname; 
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b) Sex; 
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d) Citizenship; 
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c) Date, and place of birth; 
e) Civil status, if married, name of spouse; 
f) Profession, occupation or work; 
g) Periods of residence in the Philippines and in the place of registration; 
h) Exact address with the name of the street and house number for location in 
the precinct maps maintained by the local office of the Commission, or in 
case there is none, a brief description of his residence, sitio, and barangay; 
i) A statement that the applicant possesses all the qualifications of a voter; 
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j) A statement that the applicant is not a registered voter of any precinct; and 
k) Such information or data as may be required by the Commission. 
"The application for registration shall contain three (3) specimen 
signatures of the applicant, clear and legible rolled prints of his left and right 
thumbprints, with four (4) identification size copies of his latest photograph, 
attached thereto, to be taken at the expense of the Commission. 
"Before the applicant accomplishes his application for registration, the 
Election Officer shall inform him of the qualifications and disqualifications 
prescribed by law for a voter, and thereafter, see to it that the accomplished 
application contains all the data therein required and that the applicant's 
specimen signatures, fingerprints, and photographs are 
SEC. 6. Section 17 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 17. Notice and Hearing of App/ications. Upon receipt of 
applications for registration, the Election Officer shall set them for hearing, 
notice of which shall be posted in the city or municipal bulletin board and in 
his office for at least one (1) week before the hearing, and furnish copies 
thereof to the applicant concerned, the heads or representatives of political 
parties, and other accredited groups or organizations which actively 
participate in the electoral process in the city or municipality. On the date of 
the hearing, the Election Officer shall receive such evidence for or against the 
applicant. 
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"A registrant whose application is not seasonably objected to shall 
be notified in writing stating therein that no objection was raised against his 
application and that he need not appear on the date set for the hearing of his 
application. Physical presence of the applicant concerned shall, however, be 
mandatory in all cases where objections against his application have been 
seasonably filed with the proper Election Registration Board for him to rebut 
or refute evidence presented in opposition thereto. 
"All applications for registration shall be heard and processed on a 
quarterly basis. For this purpose, the Election Registration Board shall meet 
and convene on the third Monday of April, July, October, and January of every 
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calendar year, or on the next following working day if the designated days fail 
on a non-working holiday, except in an election year to conform with the one 
hundred FIFTY (150) [twenty (120)] days prohibitive period before election 
day. Should one day be INsufficient for the processing of all accepted 
applications, the Board shall adjourn from day to day until all the applications 
shall have been processed." 
SEC. 7. Section 28 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 28. Reacfivafion of Regisfrafion. -- Any voter whose 
registration has been deactivated pursuant to the preceding Section may file 
with the Election Officer a sworn application for reactivation of his registration 
in the form of an affidavit stating that the grounds for the deactivation no 
longer exist any time but not later than one hundred FIFTY (150) [twenty 
(120)] days before a regular election and ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120) 
[ninety (go)] days before a special election. 
"The Election Officer shall submit said application to the Election 
Registration Board for appropriate action. 
"In case the application is approved, the Election Officer shall retrieve 
the registration record from the inactive file and include the same in the 
corresponding precinct book of voters. Local heads or representatives of 
political parties shall be properly notified on approved applications." 
SEC. 8. Section 30 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Section 30. Preparation and Posting of the Certified List of 
Voters. - The Board shall INITIALLY PREPARE AND POST A LIST OF 
VOTERS FOR VERIFICATION AND CORRECTION PURPOSES OF THE 
VOTERS NAMED THEREIN ONE HUNDRED TWENTY (120) DAYS 
BEFORE A REGULAR ELECTION AND NINETY (90) DAYS BEFORE A 
SPECIAL ELECTION TO ADDRESS IN ADVANCE INCIDENTS OF 
MISSING OR UNENCODED NAMES. THEREAFTER, THE BOARD SHALL 
FINALLY prepare and post certified list of voters ninety (90) days before a 
regular election and sixty (60) days before a special election and furnish 
copies thereof to the provincial, regional and national central files. Copies of 
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the certified list, along with a certified list of deactivated voters categorized by 
precinct per barangay, within the same period shall likewise be posted in the 
office of the Election Officer and in the bulletin board of each city/municipal 
hall. Upon payment of the fees as fixed by the Commission, the candidates 
and heads of registered political parties shall also be furnished copies thereof. 
“The Board shall also furnish two (2) certified copies for said certified 
list of voters, along with a certified list of deactivated voters to the Board of 
Election Inspectors for posting in the polling place and for their reference on 
election day. 
SEC. 9. Section 36 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“Section 36. Verification of Registered of Voters. -- The Election 
Officer shall, in order to preserve the integrity of the permanent list of voters, 
file exclusion proceedings when necessary, and verify the list of the registered 
voters of any precinct by regular mail or house to house canvass. 
“The Commission may enlist the help of representatives of political 
parties 
and 
deputize 
non-government organizations 
(NGOs), civic 
organizations and barangay officials to assist in the verification and house to 
house canvass of registered voters in every precinct. 
“FURTHER, THE COMMISSION MAY WITH THE USE OF THE 
APPROPRIATE COMPUTER PROGRAM DEVISE A SYSTEM OF 
ESTABLISHING THE 
IDENTITIES OF 
DOUBLE 
OR 
MULTIPLE 
REGISTRANTS. UNLESS AN APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER OF 
REGISTRATION RECORDS WAS EARLIER FILED AND APPROVED BY 
THE BOARD, ONLY THE FIRST REGISTRATION SHALL SUBSIST AND 
REMAIN VALID. SUBSEQUENT REGISTRATIONS IN VIOLATION OF THIS 
SECTION SHALL BE DELETED, WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE FILING 
OF AN ELECTION OFFENSE CASE AND/OR PETITION FOR EXCLUSION 
FROM THE LIST OF VOTERS. 
“After verification and certification by the Board of Election Inspectors 
and party representatives as to the completeness of the voters’ registration 
records in the precinct book of voters, the Board shall seal the book of voters 
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in the presence of the former at the start of the campaign period and take 
custody of the same until their distribution to the Board of Election Inspectors 
on election day. The Election Officer shall deliver the sealed precinct book of 
voters to the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors when the latter 
secures its official ballots and other paraphernalia for election day.” 
SEC. 10. Section 46 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
‘5ection 46. 
PROHlSlTED ACTS AND Penalties. 
THE 
FOLLOWING SHALL BE PENALIZED AS PROVIDED IN THIS ACT, 
WITHOUT NEED OF PROOF THAT SUCH ACT PREJUDICED THE 
SYSTEM OF GENERAL REGISTRATION OF VOTERS: 
1. 
UTILIZING WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION, TAMPERING WITH, 
DAMAGING, DESTROYING OR STEALING THE AUTOMATED ELECTION 
SYSTEM OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES, OR THEIR COMPONENTS; 
2. 
INTERFERING WITH, IMPOUNDING, ABSCONDING WITH 
FOR PURPOSES OF GAIN, OR PREVENTING THE INSTALLATION OR 
USE OF COMPUTER DEVICES AND THE PROCESSING, STORAGE, 
GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION OF DATA OR INFORMATION; 
3. 
GAINING OR CAUSING ACCESS TO, USING, ALTERING, 
DESTROYING OR DISCLOSING ANY COMPUTER DATA, PROGRAM, 
SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, NETWORK, OR ANY COMPUTER-RELATED 
DEVICE, 
FACILITY, 
HARDWARE 
OR 
EQUIPMENT, 
WHETHER 
CLASSIFIED OR DECLASSIFIED; 
4. 
PRESENTING TAMPERED OR SPURIOUS ELECTION 
RETURNS; 
FAILURE TO POST THE VOTERS, LIST WITHIN THE SPECIFIED 
TIME AND DURATION AND IN THE DESIGNATED LOCATION AS 
REQUIRED UNDER THIS ACT SHALL CONSTITUTE AN ELECTION 
OFFENSE ON THE PART OF THE ELECTION OFFICER CONCERNED; 
ANY PERSON CONVICTED FOR VIOLATION OF THIS ACT, 
EXCEPT THOSE CONVICTED OF THE CRIME OF ELECTORAL 
SABOTAGE, SHALL BE PENALIZED WITH IMPRISONMENT OF EIGHT 
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YEARS AND ONE (1) DAY TO TWELVE (12) YEARS WITHOUT THE 
POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE, AND PERPETUAL DISQUALIFICATION TO 
HOLD PUBLIC OFFICE AND DEPRIVATION OF THE RIGHT OF 
SUFFRAGE. MOREOVER, THE OFFENDER SHALL BE PERPETUALLY 
DISQUALIFIED TO HOLD ANY NON-ELECTIVE PUBLIC OFFICE”. [Any 
person found guilty of any Election offense under this Act shall be punished 
with imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than six (6) 
years and shall not be subject to probation. In addition, the guilty party shall 
be sentenced to suffer disqualification to hold public office and deprivation of 
the right of suffrage. If he is a foreigner, he shall be deported after the prison 
term has been served. Any political party found guilty shall be sentenced to 
pay a fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P100,OOO) but not 
more than Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,OOO)l 
SEC. 11. 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. 12. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 13. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation 
Approved, 
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