Republic of the Philippines the revision shall nevertheless commence.
The
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTORAL
TRIBUNAL
Electoral Tribunal Building
Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City
GUIDELINES ON THE REVISION OF BALLOTS
The House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET)
hereby adopts the following guidelines on the Revision of
Ballots for election protests under the Automated Election
System (AES).
Section 1. Revision Time and Venue. - (a) Period for
revision. - The revision shall be conducted from 9:00 a.m.
to 11:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday
to Friday, except on non-working holidays.
(b) Revision to continue even if a party revisor is
absent or late. - The revision shall not be delayed or
postponed by reason of the absence or tardiness of
a party's revisor or substitute revisor, as long as the
Head Revisor and one Party Revisor are present.
The Tribunal may at any time designate another
Head Revisor if the regular Head Revisor fails for
any reason to report.
(c) If the revisor is absent or late. - During the
revision of ballots in the protested precincts, if the
revisor of the protestee is absent or late for thirty
minutes and no alternate appears as a substitute,
protestee shall be deemed to have waived the right
to appear and to object to the revision of ballots
made during his or her revisor's absence or
tardiness. The same rule applies if the revisor of the
protestant is absent or late during the revision of
ballots in the counter-protested precincts.
(d) If the revisor of the protestant or the revisors of
both parties fail to appear. - If the protestant's
revisor or the revisors of both parties or their
alternates fail to appear within thirty minutes after
the scheduled start of the revision of ballots in the
protested precincts, the ballot boxes scheduled for
revision for that day and the corresponding ballot
box keys in the possession of the Head Revisor,
shall be returned to the Tribunal's ballot box
custodian, and the ballots shall no longer be
revised; the parties are deemed to have waived
their right to the revision for that day, and the Head
Revisor shall state the facts of absence and waiver
in the revision report. The same rule applies if the
revisors of the protestee fail to appear during the
revision of ballots in the counter-protested
precincts.
Section 2. Revision Teams; Composition, Functions and
Conduct. - During the Revision of Ballots in each election
protest, twenty (20) Revision Teams shall be created or
such numbers as may be deemed appropriate. Each
Revision Team shall be composed of (a) a Head Revisor
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who shall be designated by the Tribunal, (b) a Party
Revisor designated by protestant, and (c) a Party Revisor
designated by protestee. The party revisors must be
accredited by the Tribunal.
In addition, there shall be an alternate Head Revisor
designated by the Tribunal. The parties shall also
designate a supervisor and alternate party revisors.
The Revision Teams shall conduct the Revision of Ballots
under the strict supervision of the Tribunal or its duly
authorized personnel/representatives. The members of
the Revision Teams shall discharge their duties with the
highest degree of trust, integrity, and probity. They shall
exercise extraordinary diligence and take precautionary
measures to prevent the loss, disappearance or
impairment of the integrity of ballots, election documents,
whether electronic or printed, and other election
paraphernalia.
Section 3. Compensation - The compensation of Regular
Head Revisors and/or alternate Head Revisors shall be
eight hundred pesos (P800.00) for every revision day
actually served, to be charged to the cash deposits of their
parties.
The compensation of Party Revisors shall be directly paid
by the respective parties who designated them.
Section 4. Authorized HRET Personnel in the Revision of
Ballots. - The Secretary of the Tribunal shall designate the
following personnel in the revision of ballots in each
election protest: (a) a Ballot Box Custodian; (b) a Head
Revision Supervisor; (c) four (4) Revision Supervisors who
shall each be assigned to supervise a particular number of
Revision Teams; (d) two (2) Revision Reports Appraisers;
and (e) at least three (3) Utility Personnel. The Chief of the
Canvass Board Service or his duly authorized
representative and the Hearing Commissioner or Deputy
Hearing Commissioner of the election protest involves
shall be designated as Over-All Supervisor and Legal
Consultant, respectively.
Section 5. Prohibited Access. - During the Revision of
Ballots, only the Chairperson and Members of the
Tribunal or their duly authorized representatives, the
Secretary of the Tribunal or duly authorized
representative, the Deputy Secretary of the Tribunal or
duly authorized representative, the duly authorized
HRET personnel, the Head Revisors and Party Revisors of
the Revision Teams, and the parties, their counsels and
their supervisors shall be allowed inside the revision area.
However, only one (1) counsel and one (1) supervisor for
each party shall be allowed to enter the revision area at
any one time.
Section 6. Security Measures
(a) As part of the security measures to be observed
during the Revision of Ballots, to maintain the
integrity of the proceedings and to ensure the
protection of ballots, election documents, electronic
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device and gadgets, and other election
paraphernalia involved therein, the NO I.D. - NO
ENTRY POLICY shall be implemented as follows:
(1.) Office I.D. cards for authorized HRET
personnel.
(2.) Color-coded I.D. cards to be issued by
the Tribunal, as follows:
a.) White for Head Revisors
b.) Light Blue for Protestant's
Revisors, Supervisors and Legal
Counsels.
c.) Light Pink for Protestee's Revisors,
Supervisors and Legal Counsels.
(b) Before leaving the revision area during lunch
break and after the conclusion of each working day,
all member of the Revision Teams shall leave
behind their I.D. cards in the care of the PNP-on-
duty/guards-on-duty, and the latter, on the same
duty, shall turn over the same to the Canvass Board
Service. All I.D. cards of the Party Revisors,
supervisors and counsels shall be permanently
surrendered upon the completion of the revision
proceedings.
The PNP-on-duty/guards-on-duty shall conduct
body search of all persons coming in and out of the
revision area, except HRET personnel. Instead, the
Head Revision Supervisor shall ensure that all
Tribunal personnel involved in the said
proceedings do not bring in and out of the said
venue any document involved in such Revision of
Ballots.
Bags, folders, newspapers and personal belongings
(such as but not limited to cell phones, cameras,
radio and other electronic equipment and gadgets)
shall be prohibited inside the revision area.
(c) Only the following materials shall be allowed
inside the revision area: (a) colored ballpoint pens
(i.e., RED for exhibit markings and BLUE for
accomplishing the revision forms; (b) blank HRET
official revision forms; and (c) carbon papers,
masking tapes, permanent markers, brown
envelopes and other supplies or equipment
officially used in the Revision of Ballots.
(d) No food and drinks shall be brought inside the
revision area. A five (5)-minute break may be
arranged by the members of each of the Revision
Teams, provided that, the ballot box subject of
revision has already been completed and returned
to the Ballot Box Custodian. The taking of food or
drinks shall be allowed only outside the revision
area. (as amended per Resolution of February 10, 2011).
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Smoking and drinking of wines or liquors and
other alcoholic beverages shall be strictly
prohibited inside the Tribunal building during the
conduct of such proceedings.
(e) The members of the Revision Teams shall not be
allowed to roam around the revision area. They
shall stay within their respective places of
assignments during the period of conduct of such
proceedings, Unreasonable substitution, transfer or
exchange of Party Revisors from one Revision
Team to another shall not be allowed.
(f) Each Revision Team shall be assigned only one
precinct/clustered precincts for revision each time.
The Ballot Box Custodian shall ensure that only the
ballot box belonging to the precinct/clustered
precincts assigned to each Revision Team shall be
released each time. Self-locking security seal shall
likewise be issued simultaneously with the release
of each ballot box.
(g) The ballot box subject of the revision shall be
placed beside the revision table of the Revision
Team or in an area which is within the plain view
of all members of the team. The Head Revisors shall
open the ballot box only in the physical presence of
the Party Revisors. The opening of the ballot box
and the retrieval/return of the ballots and other
election documents shall be witnessed by the
Revision Supervisor assigned to the Revision Team.
(h) No ballot box shall be forced open, unless
authorized by the Tribunal by reason of unfitness
or unavailability of its corresponding keys. In the
event of forced opening, the Ballot Box Custodian
shall issue at least one (1) new padlock and shall
strictly require the Revision Team concerned to
lock the ballot box involved after the completion of
the proceedings. The said incident shall be reflected
by the Head Revisor in the Revision Report that
will be submitted to the Tribunal.
(i) The Head Revisor shall accomplish a Checklist
of all envelopes and election documents retrieved
from the ballot box.
(j) Recount, segregation and classification of all
ballots involved as well as the writing or marking
of exhibit numbers for the parties' objected and
claimed ballots shall exclusively be done by the
Head Revisor and cannot be delegated. Ballpens
and marking pens shall strictly be placed under the
table during the recount, segregation, classification
and examination of ballots.
(k) The Head Revisor shall place the parties'
objected and claimed ballots inside the envelope
and seal the same only after they have been checked
and reviewed by the assigned Revision Supervisor.
The Revision Supervisor and all members of the
Revision Team shall affix their respective
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 signatures over their printed names on the sealed
envelope.
(l) Before closing the ballot box after completion of
the proceeding, the Head Revisor shall ensure that
all envelopes and election documents are complete
by marking the Checklist accordingly while the
envelopes and election documents are being
consecutively returned inside the ballot box in the
presence of the Party Revisors and the assigned
Revision Supervisor. The Revision Supervisor and
all members of the Revision Team shall affix their
respective signatures over their printed names on
the spaces provided for in the Checklist which shall
property be attached to the ballot box.
(m) The ballot box shall be locked during lunch
break. Before closing the ballot box, the Revision
Team shall ensure that all the contents of the ballot
box have been properly returned therein.
(n) After the completion of the revision proceedings
in each of the precincts involved, all original pages
of the annexes accomplished by the Party Revisors
shall be attached to the Revision Report prepared
by the Head Revisor. Said Revision Report with
complete original copies of the accomplished
annexes shall be submitted to the Revision Report
Appraisers for their review and appraisal.
Section 7. Revision Report
(a) The members of the Revision Teams shall
accomplish a report on the result of their revision in
every precinct/clustered precinct, the ballot box
contents of which underwent their examinations, in
an official form provided by the Tribunal (see
attached Revision Report form). The Revision
Report accomplished by the Head Revisor shall be
considered as the original Tribunal's copy.
(b) In accomplishing the Revision Report, writings
should be legible and all data should be completely
filled up particularly pages 1-3 of the Revision
Report.
(c) Only the Head Revisor shall be allowed to write
on the original Tribunal's copy of the Revision
Report.
(d) Following the appropriate sequence of entries
appearing on the Revision Report, the Revision
Team shall fill or supply the needed data and
information on the Revision Report whenever
applicable or indicate "N/A" if not applicable.
Section 8. Condition of Ballot Box
(a) The Revision Team shall note, before opening
the ballot box, the condition of the ballot box as well
as that of the locks or locking mechanism and the
Head Revisor shall record the condition in the
Revision Report by filling up the entries under Item
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 No. 1, page 1 of the Revision Report, including
observations, if any, as regards the outer condition
of the ballot box (e.g., padlocks and self-locking
security seal properly attached and locked).
Section 10. Revision of Ballots
(b) Open the ballot box and write observations, if
any, of the inner condition of the ballot box and
condition of envelopes (e.g. self-locking security
seal properly attached and locked/envelope pasted
and sealed), on the appropriate spaces of the
Revision Report.
Section 9. Contents of Ballot Box; Material Data
(a) The Revision Team shall fill up entries
pertaining to the contents of the ballot box under
Item No. II-A and II-B, pages 1-2, of the Revision
Report which shall contain the following data: (a)
the total number of votes obtained by each
candidate for congressman/representative based
on the ballot box copy of the Election Returns (ER);
(b) the total number of valid ballots retrieved from
the ballot box; (c) the total number of votes counted
for protestant, protestee and other candidate/s for
congressman/representatives; (d) the total number
of ballots tentatively classified as stray ballots
based on the physical count of ballots made by the
Revision Team; (e) the total number of the parties'
objected and unobjected ballots; and (f) The total
number of claimed and unclaimed ballots.
(b) No parties' arguments in support of or against
objections or claims to ballots shall be entertained
and set forth in the Revision Report.
(a) Dispute ballots shall be numbered consecutively
with RED ballpen by the Head
Revisor. BLUE ballpen shall strictly be used for
accomplishing the revision forms. DO NOT FOLD
THE BALLOT OR WRITE ON THE FACE OF THE
BALLOT PARTICULARLY ON THE MARK.
(b) The Head Revisor shall count the "VALID"
BALLOTS retrieved from the ballot box.
(c) The Head Revisor shall, prior to the
classification of the valid ballots, authenticate each
and every ballot, through the use of the PCOS
machine actually used during the elections in the
subject precinct or by another device certified by
the Commission on Elections as one that can
perform the desired authentication requirement
such as the use of bar code and ultra-violet ray code
detection mechanism, to make sure that they were
the same ballots that were cast and fed to the PCOS
machine during the elections.
(d) When it has been shown, in a preliminary
hearing set by the parties or by the Tribunal, that
the integrity of the ballots and ballot boxes used in
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the May 10, 2010 elections was not preserved, as
when there is proof of tampering or substitutions,
the Tribunal shall direct the printing of the picture
images of the ballots of the subject precinct stored
in the data storage device for the same precinct. The
Tribunal shall provide a non-partisan technical
person who shall conduct the necessary
authentication process to ensure that the data or
image stored is genuine and not a substitute. It is
only upon such determination that the printed
picture image can be used for the revision, (as
amended per Resolution of February 10, 2011).
(e) After such determination, The Head Revisor
shall classify the valid ballots into four (4)
categories, to writ:
(1) BALLOTS FOR PROTESTANT
(2) BALLOTS FOR PROTESTEE
(3) BALLOTS FOR OTHER
CANDIDATES
(4) STRAY BALLOTS
In classifying the valid ballots, the Head Revisor
shall look at the shade or mark used to register vote
for representative/congressman.
Valid ballots with two or more shades or marks
used to register vote for
representative/congressman or without any shade
or mark shall be tentatively classified as STRAY
BALLOTS. Valid ballots with mar or shade which
are less than 50% of the oval shall also be tentatively
classified as STRAY BALLOTS. Any issue as to
whether a certain mark or shade is within the
threshold shall be determined by feeding the ballot
on the PCOS machine, and not by human
determination. In case there is no PCOS machine,
the ballot shall be tentatively classified as stray.
Any other question pertaining to the application of
the rules on appreciation of ballots shall be referred
to the Legal Consultant.
(f) The Revision Team shall then Fill-up the spaces
pertaining to valid ballots under Item No. III-A,
pages 2.
(g) After classification, the Head Revisor team shall
give the Ballots for Protestant to Protestant's
Revisor, and the Ballots for Protestee to Protestee's
Revisor, for their examination and comments.
(h) The Head Revisor shall then give the Ballots for
Protestant to Protestee's Revisor, and the Ballots for
Protestee to Protestant's Revisor, for viewing,
examination and segregation of ballots they intend
to challenge/contest or object. Thereafter, they
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shall each group or sort the challenged/contested
ballots under such classification and sequence as
the Tribunal may establish. Then, they shall hand
the challenged/contested ballots to the Head
Revisor for making of Precinct Number and Exhibit
Number. Protestant's and protestee's contested
ballots shall be marked lightly with precinct
number and exhibit numbers separately and
consecutively at the back portion of the ballot. DO
NOT FOLD THE BALLOT OR WRITE ON THE
FACE OF THE BALLOT PARTICULARLY ON
THE TIME MARK.
(i) The Party Revisors shall fill up entries pertaining
to objected ballots on the respective annexes
(Annex "A" or Annex "A-1"), while the Head
Revisor is counting the uncontested and objected
ballots, who shall, thereafter, fill up the appropriate
spaces/entries pertaining to said objected and
uncontested ballots in Item No. III-A, Nos. 2 & 3,
page 2.
(j) Before the contested ballots (all objected and
claimed ballots) are placed inside the properly
labeled envelope and sealed, the Head Revisor
shall call the assigned Revision Supervisor to check
and review the precinct number and exhibit
numbers indicated on each of the contested ballots
to ensure the completeness of the ballots and the
accuracy and appropriateness of the exhibit
makings. Protestant's and protestee's objected and
claimed ballots shall each be placed and sealed
inside separate properly labeled envelopes.
(k) The Head Revisor shall then give the ballots
for OTHER CANDIDATE/S to the Party Revisors
who may register a claim thereon. Claimed ballot/s
shall be given to the Head Revisor for making of
Precinct Number and Exhibit Number. The
appropriate entries pertaining to "other candidates"
under Item No. III-A, No. 4, page 2 shall be filled
up. Consequently, the Party Revisors shall list
claimed ballots for other candidates, if any, in the
appropriate spaces of Annexes "B" or "B-1".1avvphi1
(l) The STRAY ballots shall be given to the Party
Revisors to determine if there are legal grounds to
claim any or all of the ballots. Thereafter, claimed
ballots shall be returned to the Head Revisor for
making of Precinct Number and Exhibit Number.
(m) The Head Revisor shall fill-up the appropriate
spaces pertaining to claimed stray ballots under
Item III-A, No. 5, page 2. The Party Revisors shall
list such claimed ballots, in the appropriate spaces
of Annexes "C" or "C-1".
(n) UNLESS THE PICTURE IMAGE OF THE
BALLOT IS USED in applicable cases, the Head
Revisor shall retrieve from the ballot box the
envelope containing the REJECTED
BALLOT/S. The Head Revisor shall inspect the
8
envelope and write on the appropriate space of the
Revision Report the condition of the envelope and
its paper seal. Thereafter, the Head Revisor shall
open the envelope, retrieve and count the rejected
ballot/s and fill-up the corresponding spaces
pertaining to rejected ballots under Item III-B, page
2.
(o) The REJECTED BALLOT/S shall be given to the
Party Revisors to determine if there are legal
grounds to claim any or all of the ballots. Then,
claimed ballot/s shall be returned to the Head
Revisor for making of Precinct Number and Exhibit
Number.
(p) The Head Revisor shall fill-up the entries
pertaining to the rejected ballots claimed by the
parties under Item No. III-B, Nos. 2, 3 & 4, page 2.
The Party Revisors shall list such claimed ballots if
any in the appropriate spaces of Annexes "D" or "D-
1".
(q) The Head Revisor shall place inside separate
properly labeled envelopes: (a) the
parties' OBJECTED BALLOTS; (b) the
parties' CLAIMED STRAY BALLOTS; (c) the
parties' CLAIMED BALLOT/S FOR OTHER
CANDIDATE/S; (d) the parties' REJECTED
BALLOTS; (e) UNOBJECTED BALLOTS; and
(f) UNCLAIMED BALLOTS. The envelopes shall
then be sealed and all members of the Revision
Team shall affix their respective signatures over
printed name on the flap of each sealed envelope.
(r) All envelopes shall be placed inside the ballot
box. The Head Revisor shall accomplish the Check
List of election documents to be returned inside the
ballot box as required in Sec. 6 (I).
(s) All other observations and the number of pages
per annex used shall be indicated on page 3 of the
Revision Report.
(t) All three (3) members of the Revision Team shall
sign over their printed names on each page of the
Revision Report and thereafter submit the Revision
Reports to the Revision Report Appraisers.
Revision Reports without the required signatures
of each of the members of the Revision Team shall
not be accepted by the Revision Appraisers. Refusal
of the Party Revisor to sign the Revision Report
without justifiable reason/s shall result to his/her
immediate disqualification to participate in the
succeeding proceedings.
(u) Any Head Revisor, Party Revisor, party
supervisor or any of the parties' representatives
who violates the foregoing guidelines or reforms
acts detrimental to the conduct of the proceedings
shall, after due notice and hearing, be disqualified
by the Tribunal in the succeeding proceedings and
9
 shall, thereafter, be banned from entering the HRET selection protests filed this 2010-2013 congressional term
premises. and their respective counsels, the Presidential Electoral
Tribunal (PET), Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), the
Section 11. Printing of the picture images of the ballots in lieu Commission on Elections, and the Courts, through the
of photocopying. - Unless it has been shown, in a Court Administrator.
preliminary hearing set by the parties or motu propio, that
the integrity of any of the Compact Flash (CF) Cards used APPROVED, January 19, 2011
in the May 10, 2010 elections was not preserved or the
same was violated, as when there is proof of tampering or (Sgd.) CONCHITA CARPIO MORALES
substitution, the Tribunal, in lieu of photocopying of Associate Justice, Supreme Court
ballots upon motion of any of the parties, shall direct the Chairperson
printing of the picture images of the ballots of the subject
precinct stored in the data storage device for the same
precinct. The Tribunal shall provide a non-partisan (Sgd.)ANTONIO
(Sgd.)ARTURO D.
technical person who shall conduct the necessary EDUARDO B.
BRION
NACHURA
authentication process to ensure that the data or image Associate Justice,
Associate Justice,
stored is genuine and not a substitute. Supreme Court
Supreme Court
Member
Section 12. Amendment Clause. - The Tribunal may, at any Member
time, amend these Guidelines.
(Sgd.)FRANKLIN P. (Sgd.)RUFUS B.
Section 13. Repealing Clause. - All other rules, resolutions BAUTISTA RODRIGUEZ
or regulations of the HRET or parts thereof that are Representative Representative
inconsistent with any provision of these Guidelines are 2nd District, Davao 2nd District, Cagayan
hereby deemed repealed or modified accordingly. del Sur de Oro City
Member Member
Section 14. Effectively. - The Guidelines on the Revision of
Ballots shall take effect immediately upon approval.
(Sgd.)JOSELITO (Sgd.)JUSTIN
Section 15. Dissemination. - Let copies of the Guidelines on ANDREW R. MARC SB.
the Revision of Ballots be furnished to all parties of MENDOZA CHIPECO

10
Representative Representative
3rd District, Bulacan 2nd District, Laguna
Member Member

(Sgd.)MA.
(Sgd.)RODOLFO B.
THERESA
ALBANO
BONOAN-DAVID
Representative
Representative
1st District, Isabela
4th District, Manila
Member
Member

11