More than 400 residents of Mandaue City have registered to be voters in the 2025 mid-term elections as Comelec resumes voter registration in February 2024./CDN File Photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Over 600 transferee voters are being sought for exclusion from the voters’ list in Mandaue City through a petition filed by Ernie Manatad, a city councilor candidate and member of Team Mandaue.
The petition was filed before the Municipal Trial Court in Mandaue City on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 31.
As the petitioner representing Team Mandaue, Manatad aims to exclude “flying voters” allegedly scattered throughout the city’s barangays.
One of the cases filed involves a registered voter in Barangay Pagsabungan, who is alleged to be a “fictitious” or “flying voter.” The voter in question has been registered as a transferee voter in Pagsabungan but is reportedly not a resident of the barangay.
The petition states that despite diligent efforts, the respondent, whose name is being withheld, could not be located in Barangay Pagsabungan, and their actual residence remains unknown.
The petition argues that the right to vote is reserved for qualified residents as stipulated in the Philippine Constitution and relevant laws.
It cites Article V, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, which states that suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines who are at least 18 years old and have resided in the country for at least one year, and in the place where they intend to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the election.
It also references Section 9 of Republic Act No. 8189, which affirms that those eligible to register as voters must meet the same residency requirements.
The petition concludes that the respondent has failed to meet the residency requirement necessary to qualify as a voter in Mandaue City.
The petitioner requests that the respondent be excluded from the permanent list of voters for Precinct No. 0632A of Barangay Pagsabungan, as their supposed residence could not be verified, making their registration invalid.
Lawyer Carly Guillermo, Manatad’s legal counsel, said they are also planning to file a case for election offense against these “flying voters,” as voting in a place where one is not a resident is a violation of election laws.
In an interview with the media on Friday, Jan. 31, Manatad said the investigation into “flying voters” was launched after discovering a suspiciously high number of unfamiliar names on the List of Newly-Transferred Registrants in Mandaue City.
After a thorough verification process, which involved deploying investigators to various barangays and seeking assistance from purok leaders, none of the respondents could be located at their claimed addresses, he said.
Manatad also expressed concern that these questionable voters could influence the outcome of the upcoming elections, especially in closely contested areas.
According to a Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution, individuals only need to present a valid identification card or document to be registered as voters. Acceptable IDs and documents include the PhilSys National ID card, Postal ID, PWD ID, student ID or library card signed by school authorities, Senior Citizen ID, LTO driver’s license or student permit, and a Barangay Identification/Certification with a photo, among others.
Before voter registration approval, an Election Registration Board hearing is conducted, where political parties may request the exclusion or inclusion of specific individuals. If no petitions are filed against them within the given period, the registrants are then approved as voters.
Mandaue City currently has over 236,000 registered voters.
While Manatad is uncertain whether a specific group is behind these registrations, he noted that the ‘flying voters’ appear to come from barangays allied with Congresswoman Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon.
“Ang among gituhuan, epekto ni siya sa katung mga ayuda nga gipang-offer nila sa employment sector, katung security guards, tindera sa department stores. One of the requirements is [registered] even if they are not residing in Mandaue” (“We believe this is the result of aid programs offered to the employment sector, such as security guards and department store vendors. One of the requirements is voter registration, even if they are not residing in Mandaue”), said Manatad.
“I represent sa team (Team Mandaue)… Usa man sad gud ni sa dili maayo nga scheme sa uban’g partido, ilaha’ng gamiton para sa eleksyon… Kung pananglitan dili sila ma-exclude, ang ilaha’ng boto mavalid gyud na… Fair and honest election ang atoang tuyo,” he added. (I represent Team Mandaue… This is one of the unfair schemes used by some political parties to manipulate elections. If these voters are not excluded, their votes will still be counted as valid… Our goal is to ensure a fair and honest election.)
For her part, Congresswoman Ouano-Dizon dismissed the accusations, saying she has grown accustomed to being blamed by Team Mandaue’s camp.
“Pasangil napod? Wala na gyod sila tarung mahuna-hunaan? Sayon ra ang pag-akusar. Laway ray puhunan. Mas permanente nila ang pag-akusar kaysa pagbuhat og mga kaayohan para sa Mandaue. Kahibaw namo unsay panultihon about idle hands and idle minds, ‘they’re the devil’s workshop'”, said Ouano-Dizon. (Accusations again? Do they have nothing better to think of? It’s easy to accuse; words are cheap. They spend more time blaming than doing something good for Mandaue. You know the saying about idle hands and idle minds, ‘they’re the devil’s workshop’)
“Basta kami, nasayod mo nga focus ra gyud mi sa .paghatod sa mga programa, proyekto, ug uban pang makaayo sa mga Mandauehanon. Mas daghan among trabaho kaysa kyawkyaw, because that is what Mandaue needs, and that is what Mandaue deserves,”she added. (As for us, you know that we remain focused on delivering programs, projects, and initiatives that benefit the people of Mandaue. We work more and talk less, because that is what Mandaue needs, and that is what Mandaue deserves.)