Article 25p. 25

OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE ELECTION LAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES

The

Commission

shall

appoint

a committee of five

members,

two

of

whom

shall

be

from

among

its

personnel, the third to be designated by the Commission

on Audit, and the last two to be designated by the ruling

party and the dominant opposition party to act as its

representatives in supervising the printing, storage and

distribution of official ballots and election returns.

Upon the request of any candidate, political party or

of civic, religious, professional, business, service, youth or

any similar organizations collectively designated by the

Commission, the latter shall allow any person designated

by

any

of

the

former

as

watcher

to

observe

the

proceedings of the committee on the printing of official

ballots and election returns, file objections, if any, witness

the printing and distribution of the ballots and the

returns and guard the premises of the printer.

Section 188. Duties of the committee on printing of

official ballots and election returns. — Under such

orders or instructions as the Commission may issue, and

in addition to general supervision and control over the

printing and shipment of official ballots and election

returns, the committee on printing of official ballots and

election returns shall (a) take charge of the room or

rooms where the paper and paraphernalia used in the

printing of official ballots and election returns are stored

and where printed official ballots and election returns are

packed and prepared for shipment, (b) supervise all

aspects relating to the printing, storage and shipment of

official ballots and election returns and report to the

Commission any irregularity which they believe may have

been committed, and (c) perform such other related

functions as the Commission may direct.

Section

189.

Representatives

of

the

registered

political parties in the verification and distribution of

official ballots and election returns. — The ruling party

and the dominant opposition party or their respective

duly authorized representatives in the different provinces,

cities and municipalities, shall submit the names of their

respective

watchers

who,

together

with

the

representatives of the Commission and the provincial, city

and municipal treasurer shall verify the contents of the

boxes containing the shipment of official ballots, election

returns and sample official ballots received by the said

treasurers. The provincial treasurers shall keep a record of

their receipt and distribution to each municipal treasurer,

while the city and municipal treasurer shall each keep a

record of their distribution to the board of election

inspectors.

ARTICLE XVII CASTING OF VOTES

Section 190. Voting hours. — The casting of votes

shall start at seven o'clock in the morning and shall end

at three o'clock in the afternoon, except when there are

voters present within thirty meters in front of the polling

place who have not yet cast their votes, in which case the

voting shall continue but only to allow said voters to cast

their votes without interruption. The poll clerk shall,

without delay, prepare a complete list containing the

names of said voters consecutively numbered, and the

voters so listed shall be called to vote by announcing each

name repeatedly three times in the order in which they

are listed. Any voter in the list who is not present when his

name is called out shall not be permitted to vote.

Section 191. Preliminaries to the voting. -

(a) The board of election inspectors shall meet at the

polling place at six-thirty o'clock in the morning of

election day and shall have the book of voters containing

all the approved applications of registration of voters

pertaining to the polling place, the certified list of voters,

the certified list of candidates, the ballot box, the official

ballots, sufficient indelible pencils or ball pens for the use

of the voters, the forms to be used, and all other materials

which may be necessary.

(b) Immediately thereafter, the chairman of the board

of election inspectors shall open the ballot box, empty

both of its compartments, exhibit them to all those

present and being empty, lock its interior covers with

three padlocks.

(c) The chairman shall forthwith show to the public

and the watchers present the package of official ballots

received

from

the

city,

or

municipal

treasurer duly

wrapped and sealed and the number of pads, the serial

numbers and the type forms of the ballots in each pad

appearing on the cover, and the book of voters duly

sealed. The board of election inspectors shall then break

the seals of the package of official ballots and the book of

voters. The board of election inspectors shall enter in the

minutes the fact that the package of ballots, and the

book of voters were shown to the public with their

wrapping and corresponding seals intact and/or if they

find that the wrapping and seals are broken, such fact

must be stated in the minutes as well as the number of

pads and the serial numbers of ballots that they find in

the package.

Ballots with separately printed serial numbers shall

be deemed spurious and shall not be utilized by the

board

of election inspectors unless the Commission

representative shall order their use in writing, stating the

reasons therefor.

(d) The chairman and the two party members of the

board

of

election

inspectors

shall

retain

in

their

possession their respective keys to the padlocks during

the voting.

(e) The box shall remain locked until the voting is

finished and the counting begins. However, if it should

become necessary to make room for more ballots, the

board of election inspectors may open the box in the

presence of the whole board of election inspectors and

the watchers, and the chairman shall press down with his

hands the ballots contained therein without removing

any of them, after which the board of election inspectors

shall close the box and lock it with three padlocks as

hereinbefore provided.

Section 192. Persons allowed in and around the

polling place. — During the voting, no person shall be

allowed inside the polling place, except the members of

the

board

of

election

inspectors,

the watchers, the

representatives of the Commission, the voters casting

their votes, the voters waiting for their turn to get inside

the booths whose number shall not exceed twice the

number of booths and the voters waiting for their turn to

cast their votes whose number shall not exceed twenty at

any one time. The watchers shall stay only in the space

reserved for them, it being illegal for them to enter places

reserved for the voters or for the board of election

inspectors or to mingle and talk with the voters within

the polling place.

It shall be unlawful for any officer or member of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines including the Philippine

Constabulary or the Integrated National Police or peace

officer or any armed person belonging to any extra-legal

police agency, special forces, reaction forces, strike forces,

home defense units, barangay tanod, or other similar

forces or para-military forces, including special forces,

security guards, special policeman, and all other kinds of

armed or unarmed extra-legal police officers, to enter any

polling place, unless it is his polling place where he will

vote but in such case he should immediately leave the

polling place, no policeman or peace officer shall be

allowed to enter or stay inside the polling place except

when there is an actual disturbance of the peace and

order therein. However, the board of election inspectors

upon majority vote, if it deems necessary, may make a call

in writing, duly entered in the minutes, for the detail of a

policeman or any peace officer for their protection or for

the

protection

of

the

election

documents

and

paraphernalia, in which case, the said policeman or peace

officer shall stay outside the polling place within a radius

of thirty meters near enough to be easily called by the

board of election inspectors at any time, but never at the

door, and in no case shall the said policeman or peace

officer hold any conversation with any voter or disturb or

prevent or in any manner obstruct the free access of the

© Compiled by RGL

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