Comelec: Birth certificates now a must for bets

Façade of the Palacio del Gobernador, which houses the headquarters of the Commission on Elections, in Intramuros, Manila. —FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will now require candidates for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) set to be held on Nov. 2 and all other succeeding elections to submit birth certificates along with their certificates of candidacy (COCs).

Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said on Thursday that the move was aimed at preventing future cases of material misrepresentation and disqualification of candidates over issues of citizenship and other electoral requirements.

“We want all certificates of candidacy to include a birth certificate. That is for us to check where and when a candidate was born to avoid issues [regarding age] and citizenship,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.

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“The Comelec has resolved to do this so that voters can no longer say that the Comelec did not do anything to prevent the candidacy of foreigners. Birth certificates will be a big help,” he said.

Alice Guo case

In October 2024, the poll body filed material misrepresentation charges against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in October 2024. It accused her of violating Section 74 of the Omnibus Election Code by declaring herself eligible for office in her 2022 COC despite being a Chinese citizen and resident of Fujian, China.

The Comelec had cited the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation that Guo’s fingerprints in voting records matched those of a Chinese woman named Guo Hua Ping.

Garcia, meanwhile, said that the submission of a birth certificate along with the filing of a COC is not unconstitutional, as the date and place of birth are also indicated in the COC. He added that this was a different matter from the earlier proposed requirement that candidates must also submit a drug test certificate when they file their COCs.

“The Supreme Court disregarded that because it is another requirement and qualification. Meanwhile, there is no additional requirement or qualification [when you ask for a] birth certificate as the birthday and citizenship are already declared in the COC,” he explained.

Those running in the BSKE must file their COCs between Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. There is an ongoing proposal, however, to postpone the elections amid the energy crisis to allow the government to save P11 billion.