Less than 200 days before the 2025 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Garcia assured that they are on track in terms of preparation and solving problems.

In an exclusive interview for TownHall: Preview of the 2025 Elections, Garcia highlighted the ongoing efforts to address the challenges faced during voting days. According to Garcia, the registration board had already conducted meetings and hearings for the whole country.

From the said meetings, the COMELEC Chair mentioned that they are monitoring and investigating a recurring problem during elections. Garcia stressed that weaponizing barangay certifications became rampant, with some individuals registering in areas outside their address.

“Na-weaponize kasi yung barangay certification na iilan, na kung saan nagamit ‘yan upang tumaas ang bilang ng mga botante. Parang biglaan na lang nagkaroon ng ginto doon sa area na yon. O kaya bigla na lang naka diskubre ng langis at nagkadamihan ng tao,” Garcia stressed.

“Tinitignan natin ‘yan, we will be charging individuals dahil dyan. At we will be cleansing the list of voters. Meron kaming tinatawag, alam ni sir Lito ‘yan na Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), na kung saan yung fingerprint ng isang tao ay pwede naming ma-match sa 68 million fingerprints na meron tayo,” he said.

68 million voters are projected by the COMELEC for this year’s election. Out of the estimated amount, 5.37 million voters are deactivated. However, the COMELEC Chair noted that they are still trying to figure out how many of those deactivated registrations have already been reactivated.

“So far kasi from the period of February to July 15, ang nagpa-reactivate mga around 400,000 pa lang. Meaning of the 5.37 million, so sana nadagdagan ‘yon,” Garcia highlighted.