Purge of ghost voters

Purge of ghost voters

Philippine Daily Inquirer
July 5, 1997

I SUPPOSE many of us encountered problems about ghost voters during the May barangay election. Unscrupulous candidates allegedly used ghost voters. As expected, this has become a subject of dispute before the courts.

Section 29 of Republic Act 8189, also known as "An act providing for a general registration of voters adopting a system of counting registration, prescribing the procedures thereof and authorizing the appropriation of funds therefor," is inutile. Among its provisions are the following: "The board shall cancel the registration records of those who have died as certified by the local civil registrar. The local civil registrar shall submit each month a certified list of persons who died during the previous month to the election officer of the place where the deceased are registered. In the absence of information concerning the place where the deceased is registered, the list shall be sent to the election officer of the city or municipality of the deceased's residence as appearing in his death certificate. In any case, the local civil registrar shall furnish a copy of this list to the national central file and the proper provincial file."

Despite this provision, ghost or zombie voters are still very much around during elections, haunting our polling places and making a mockery of the right of suffrage.

I suggest the amendment of Rule 34 of Administrative Order No. 1 series of 1993, known as the "Implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act No. 3753 and other laws on civil registration." It says: "It shall be the duty of the person concerned to accomplish and send four copies of the death certificate to the civil registrar for egistration. After registration, the civil registrar shall distribute copies of the document bearing the civil registry number within five days from receipt thereof as follows: first copy to the Office of the Civil Registrar-General; third copy shall beretained for filing; and fourth copy to the attendant at death."

As an amendment, I propose that five copies, instead of four, of Municipal Form No. 103, commonly known as the death certificate, be accomplished and sent within five days to the aforementioned recipients, with the fifth copy being sent to the election officer of the city/municipality when the person who died was at least 18 years old or a qualified voter.

I am sure this will help the Commission on Elections purge its list of voters of those who died, based on the copies of the death certificate prepared by the civil registrar. Election officers should also report for work during regular office hours and not only during the election season. Comelec offices are a haven for ghosts and spirits, aside from being filled with cobwebs when they are not preparing or overseein elections.


Reginald B. Tamayo
member, Sangguniang Bayan
Aparri, Cagayan