The names of people who have died due to Covid-19 and other causes may still be on the voters’ list in the upcoming 2022 polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

In an interview with GMA 7, Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said some names of people who are already deceased might still be on the voters’ list as the poll body’s delisting process was not able to keep up.

“Na-fo-foresee ko talaga na pagdating ng Election Day, maraming kababayan natin ang makikita ang pangalan ng mga nilang kamag-anak sa listahan (I can foresee that, on Election Day, many of our countrymen will see the names of their deceased relatives on the voters’ list),” Jimenez said.

He said some people might cite such to make it appear that the election was rigged, but he explained that the Comelec is just relying on the list of dead people from the Civil Registry.

“This is because hindi na nakaka-keep phase ‘yung ating delisting process (our delisting process cannot keep phase). Other people might see the names of their relatives and that can be used as an argument that the elections are rigged,” the Comelec spokesperson said.

Comelec noted that its delisting process for deceased voters relies solely on the list provided by the Civil Registry.

“Ang delisting process kasi natin dumadaan tayo through the civil registry so kung hindi tayo ma-inform ng civil registry tungkol sa pumanaw na, hindi na rin natatanggal (Our delisting process goes through the Civil Registry, so if the Comelec was not informed about the demise of some voters, we cannot remove them),” he added.

Commissioner George Erwin M. Garcia backed this statement of Jimenez and noted that sometimes the certifications from the Civil Registry are being sent late to the poll body.

“Minsan po talaga hindi natatanggal kaya natatanong po lagi ‘yan, pero ang dahilan, minsan po ay kasalanan din ng mga civil registrar kasi under the law, under RA 8189 kinakailangan po kasi na ang Comelec ay mabigyan ng certification ng listahan kung ilan namatay sa quarter na ‘yun (Sometimes, the names of the dead voters are not removed from the list that’s why it’s always being asked, but the reason is that, sometimes it is the fault of the civil registrar because under RA 8189, Comelec must be provided with a certification of the list of the number of deceased individuals that quarter),” he said during an ambush interview with reporters on Tuesday, March 29.

Election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) said electoral board members must be watchful and strictly verify the identities of voters in order for the names of the deceased voters not to be used.

Meanwhile, Jimenez said the board of election inspectors has a list of voters with their pictures on it, stressing nobody can pretend and use the name of the deceased voter to cast a voter.

The Comelec spokesperson urged relatives of deceased voters to have their dead relatives delisted from the poll body’s list of voters.

“Hinihingi natin at death certificate, pangalawa mag-provide kayo ng proof of kinship. Kailangan mapatunayan niyo na kamag-anak kayo ng pinapa-delist niyo (You must provide your relative’s death certificate; second you must show proof of kinship. You must be able to prove that you are a relative of the decease voter you are trying to delist),” said Jimenez.

Per Comelec’s data, 67,442,714 voters are expected to cast their votes in the May 2022 polls.

The data of the Department of Health showed a total of 59,030 individuals died due to Covid-19 as of March 28.