'04 
JUL -1 
p1259 
S. B. No. 
E * AT52'3" 
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 7mItmsp 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The accuracy, transparency, and accessibility of the results of vote-counting and 
canvassing procedures are essential to the conduct of fair, orderly, and honest elections. 
Thus, existing election laws provide for the distributiotl of election results documents 
containing the records of votes of candidates and political parties. 
TINO of such election results documents mentioned are the Election Returns (ERs) 
and the Certificates 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 fraud since 
these contain precinct-level brealtdowns. Unfortunately, the present distribution scheme of 
the ERs makes this basic document . inaccessible lo 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.E. Form No. 
13, otherwise known 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 at least 
three accredited party watchers as a necessary safeguard. 
This bill is a product of several public hearings conducted last Congress 
4t.j- &y$ 
MIRIAM DEPEN OR SANTLAGO 


5EkA’I.E 
$IFFtC;E &E: ’WE SEGRETAW 
’ THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
i ,.’. 
OF THE PHILIPPPmS 
1 
Fii-st Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
S. B. No. 
qz? 
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 PRESCRIBMG A 
REVISED C.E FORMNO. 13, AMENDING FOR THAT PURPOSE SECTION 
SECTION 16 
215OF THE OMNlBUS ELECTION C0DE;AS AMENDED BY R.A. NO. 6646, 
Hc il eiincted liy the Seiiale and Hoiise of Represeizlntives of the Philippines iii 
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 illspectors 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. [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 the duly 
accredited watchers. The certificate’ ‘shall contain the number of votes 
obtained by each candidates 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 thumbmarlted 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 CANDIDATESPARTIES. 
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 OF VOTERS 
8) NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ACTUALLY VOTED 
9) W
E
R
 
OF VALID BALLOTS 
10) NUMBER OF SPOILED BALLOTS 
11) NAMES OF ALL THE CANDIDATES 
12) TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTES OBTAINED BY ALL 
CANDIDATES WRITTEN IN WORDS AND FIGURES 
13) THE DATE AND TIME ISSUED 
14) SIGNATURE AND THUMBMARK OF ALL THE 
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ELECTION 
INSPECTORS 
15) SIGNATURE AND THUMBMARK OF AT LEAST THREE 
( 3 )  OF THE ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS, 
INCLUDING THE WATCHJZR WHO PREPARED THE 
CERTIFICATE. 
IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT OF THE BLANK FORMS OF THE 
CERTIFICATE AND BEFORE THE START OF VOTlNG THE POLL 
CLERK SHALL PROVIDE THE TNFORMATION AND HELP THE 
ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS SHALL FILL UP THE SPACES 


1) PROVINCE 
2) LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 
3) CITY OR MUNICIPALITY 
4) BARANGAY 
5) PRECINCT NUMBER 
6) NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS 
7) NAMES OF ALL THE CANDIDATES. 
AFTER THE CLOSE OF VOTING, THE ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS 
WITH THE HELP OF THE POLL CLERK SHALL FILL U p  THE SPACES FOR 
I) 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 VOTERS 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 SIGNATURES AND 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 
WATCHERS 
WHO 
PREPARED 
THE 
CERTIFICATE. THE ABSENCE OF SIGNATURES AND THUMBMARKS OF THE 
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ELECTION INSPECTORS AND AT LEAST 
THREE ( 3 )  OF THE ACCREDITED PARTY WATCHERS, INCLUDING THE 
WATCHERS WHO PREPARED THE CERTIFICATE, SHALL VOID THE 
CERTIFICATE OF VOTES. 
THE 
CERTJFICATE 
OF 
VOTES 
SHALL 
BE 
PREPARED AND 


THE WATCHER WHO PREPARED THE CERTIFICATE AND THE DUPLICATE 
SHALL BE R E T m D  BY THE POLL CLERK OF THE BOARD OF ELECTION 
INSPECTORS. IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF THE POLL CLERK TO MAICEi SURE 
THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE CERTLFICATE OF VOTES ARE 
VALID AND CORRECT. 
Section 2. Separability Clause. If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the 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. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved.