Jinggoy questions ‘irregular’ 32% surge in San Juan voters

November 18, 2024 | 7:21pm

MANILA, Philippines — Despite being the second least populated city in the National Capital Region, San Juan City saw a dramatic increase of voters in 2022 with 109,640 people casting their ballots: which is around 86.77% of the city’s population based on the 2020 census. 

Local politics found its way into the upper chamber of Congress as Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada questioned the sudden burst of voters in his bailiwick of San Juan City in Metro Manila. 

Citing data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Estrada pointed out the upward trajectory of voters in San Juans for both the National and Local Elections and Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. 

• 2016 NLE: 71,225 voters 
• 2018 BSKE: 75,037 voters 
• 2019 NLE: 82,977 voters 
• 2022 NLE: 109,640 voters 
• 2023 BSKE: 106,823 voters 

Estrada said San Juan voters have increased by around 32.2% since 2016. Other cities only saw increases not moving past 16%.

“I think, for me it’s highly irregular,” Estrada said while the Comelec’s budget was questioned in the plenary.

Sen. Imee Marcos, the Comelec’s budget sponsor, also admitted that there was a “ballooning of the number of voters way past the average.” 

But since no one filed a petition to exclude these new voters or transferees, the Comelec could not remove them from the list on its own. A court decision is needed, Marcos said.

An emerging pattern. For Marcos, the problem stemmed from barangay certificates being the only proof needed of residency.

A similar case was already being probed in Makati, which also saw a high transfer of voters into Makati. 

Senate President Francis Escudero asked if this probe was also to determine if the dramatic increase in registered voters is happening elsewhere. Marcos replied that the Comelec is also looking into other similar cases, saying that there is already a pattern in Cabanatuan, Cagayan de Oro, Tawi-Tawi and more. 

“The task force’s unanimous recommendation is in fact for barangay certifications no longer to be accepted as proof of residence,” Marcos said. 

Threat to political diversity. Estrada lamented what was happening in San Juan.  

“If these issues will not be resolved, no other candidates from other parties, will never have a chance of being elected as public officials in San Juan,” Estrada said. 

Estrada’s family has been locked in a political rivalry with the Zamoras of San Juan City. The senator said that if this system continued, then voters in the city would only vote for whoever current Mayor Francis Zamora directs them to vote for. 

Estrada then swore at Zamora, prompting Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino to make a motion to strike the comment from the records. Estrada stood by his comment and insisted to keep it on record, saying it was true.