Republic of the Philippines

COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS
Intramuros, Manila

IMPLEMENTATION OF COVID-19 ABAS, S.M., Chairman

PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN THE GUANZON, M.R.A.V., Commissioner
INTING, S.B., Commissioner
CONDUCT OF CONTINUING
CASQUEJO, M.S., Commissioner
REGISTRATION FOR OVERSEAS KHO, A.T.K.J., Commissioner
VOTING FOR PURPOSES OF THE 09
MAY 2022 NATIONAL AND LOCAL Promulgated:
ELECTIONS & OTHER FRONTLINE
SERVICES OF THE OFFICE FOR 26 August 2020
OVERSEAS VOTING (OFOV).
x-----------------------------x

RESOLUTION NO. 10677

WHEREAS, the Commission En Banc, through Resolution No. 10619
dated 06 November 2019 and Resolution No. 10630 dated 04 December 2019,
promulgated the RULES AND REGULATIONS ON THE CONDUCT OF
CONTINUING REGISTRATION FOR OVERSEAS VOTING FOR PURPOSES OF THE
09 MAY 2022 NATIONAL AND LOCAL ELECTIONS, pursuant to Section 11 of
the OVERSEAS VOTING ACT OF 20131;

WHEREAS, the Commission En Banc, in line with the declarations

of the Executive Department due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the
imposition of community quarantine protocols in the National Capital
Region, issued various resolutions suspending the conduct of continuing
registration/certification of overseas voters at the Office for Overseas
Voting (OFOV) and at local field registration centers within the
Philippines, for the period of 16 March until 31 August 2020;

WHEREAS, the Commission En Banc, through Resolution No. 10672

dated 10 June 2020, promulgated “PROTOCOLS IN THE PROCESSING AND
RELEASING OF VOTERS’ CERTIFICATIONS INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NEW
NORMAL”, which sets the procedure to be observed by the general public
regarding requests for the issuance of voters’ certifications as well as the
required “COVID-19 readiness” preparations by the Offices of the
Election Officer;

WHEREAS, the Commission En Banc, through Resolution No. 10674

dated 12 August 2020, adopted “PROTOCOLS ON THE CONDUCT OF THE
SYSTEM OF CONTINUING REGISTRATION OF VOTERS, INSTITUTIONALIZING

1 Republic Act No. 9189, as amended by Republic Act No. 10590.

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THE HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS UNDER THE NEW NORMAL” to be

strictly observed by the Offices of the Election Officers nationwide;

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court, through Administrative Matter

No. 20-07-04-SC, issued the 2020 INTERIM RULES ON REMOTE
NOTARIZATION OF PAPER DOCUMENTS, otherwise known as the “RON
RULES”, allowing the use of videoconferencing facilities to establish the
actual signature of a party to a document and its subsequent notarization
by the notary public in accordance to the procedures laid out under the
aforementioned RON RULES;

WHEREAS, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), through its

Advisory No. 01 dated 25 March 2020 encouraged government agencies
to consider the acceptance of applications through email and other online
platforms, in accordance with the mandate stated in Republic Act No.
11032, also known as the EASE OF DOING BUSINESS AND EFFICIENT
GOVERNMENT SERVICE DELIVERY ACT OF 2018;

IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, the Commission En Banc, by

virtue of the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the OMNIBUS
ELECTION CODE as amended2, the OVERSEAS VOTING ACT OF 2013, and
other pertinent election laws, rules and regulations, and in line with the
Department of Health (DOH) GUIDELINES ON THE RISK-BASED PUBLIC
HEALTH STANDARDS FOR COVID-19 MITIGATION3, as well as the
prevailing resolutions of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the
Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), hereby
RESOLVED, as it hereby RESOLVES, to PROMULGATE the following
GUIDELINES with respect to the system of continuing registration for
overseas voting and other frontline services of the OFOV, to wit:

SECTION 1. Resumption of the Conduct of Continuing Registration

and/or Certification and Other Frontline Services at the Office for
Overseas Voting, Intramuros, Manila; Period for Filing of Applications.
– The conduct of continuing registration/certification at the Office for
Overseas Voting (OFOV) shall resume on 01 September 2020 until 30
September 20214. This resumption covers the following transactions and
frontline services:

a. Application for registration / certification as overseas voter;

b. Application for recapture of biometrics;
c. Application for reinstatement of name inadvertently omitted in
the National Registry of Overseas Voters;

2 Batas Pambansa Bilang 881, as amended.

3 DOH Administrative Order No. 2020-0015 dated 27 April 2020.
4 Section 4, Rule III, COMELEC Resolution No. 10619.
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d. Application for change of name due to marriage or court order;

e. Application for correction of entries in the Voter’s Registration
Record;
f. Request to withdraw the application for registration /
certification pending RERB approval;
g. Application for reactivation of registration records;
h. Application for change or updating of address and other contact
information (within the same post and country); and
i. Application for updating of photograph and/or signature.

SECTION 2. Resumption of Period to File Applications for Transfer

from Post to Philippine City/Municipality. – The OFOV and the Offices
of the Election Officer shall resume the receiving of applications for
transfer of registration records from Posts to the Philippines on 01
September 2020 until 31 August 20215, subject to the protocols approved
by the Commission En Banc under Resolution No. 10674, in cases when the
overseas voter file their applications for transfer with the Offices of the
Election Officer.

SECTION 3. Resumption of the Conduct of Continuing Registration

in the Local Field Registration Centers; Subject to the Discretion of the
Partner Agency’s Management. – Considering that the local field
registration centers are located within the premises of the Commission’s
partner agencies, the conduct of continuing registration for overseas
voting in the following local field registration centers shall be suspended
until further notice:

a. Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Paco, Manila;

b. DFA Main Consular Office in Aseana Business Park;
c. DFA Consular Office in NCR West – SM Manila;
d. DFA Consular Office in NCR Central – Robinsons Galleria;
e. DFA Consular Office in NCR South – Alabang Town Center;
f. Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) – Port Area, Manila;
g. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) –
Intramuros;
h. OWWA-POEA – 2nd floor of POEA building; and
i. Balik Manggagawa Program – Ground floor of POEA building.

The OFOV shall continue to coordinate with the aforementioned

government agencies to determine the schedule for the resumption of
overseas registration activities in these local field registration centers. For
this purpose, the Commission En Banc delegates the authority to approve
the resumption of operations in these local field registration centers to the

5 Ibid.
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Commissioner-in-Charge (CIC) of the OFOV, upon recommendation of

the government agency concerned and the OFOV.

SECTION 4. Other Frontline Services of the OFOV. – The OFOV shall

continue to accept requests for issuance of various voters’ certifications,
namely:

a. Overseas Voter’s Certification (with active status);

b. Certification for Correction of Entry;
c. Certification of Non-Availability of Record;
d. Certification Pending Approval of Application for Registration
as Overseas Voter; and
e. Certification for Overseas Voter with Deactivated Status.

In addition to the protocols provided in Resolution No. 10672, the

OFOV must comply with existing COVID-19 preventive measures and
protocols for the Main Office.

SECTION 5. Continuing Registration and Other Frontline Services

Related to Overseas Voting at Foreign Service Posts; Discretion of Heads
of Posts. – In recognition of the varying circumstances faced by Posts
worldwide and the different measures adopted by the host countries’
governments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic or other fortuitous
events, the Commission defers to the discretion of the Heads of Posts to
suspend or resume the registration of overseas voters, as in the case for
frontline consular services, in line with prevailing policies of the
Department of Foreign Affairs. However, the public must always be
notified of any temporary closure, including the date of resumption of
operations.

SECTION 6. Applications for Transfers from Posts to Philippine city

or municipality6; Study the Possibility of Electronic Process and Remote
Administration of Oath. – In view of the Supreme Court’s issuance of
Administrative Matter No. 20-07-04-SC, also known as the “2020 INTERIM
RULES ON REMOTE NOTARIZATION OF PAPER DOCUMENTS” or the “RON
RULES”, which allows the use of videoconferencing facilities to perform
notarial acts, the OFOV, the Law Department, the Election and Barangay
Affairs Department (EBAD) and the Information Technology Department
(ITD) shall study the possibility of accepting and processing applications
for transfer of registration from Posts to a Philippine city or municipality
via e-mail and other electronic platforms and the administering of oaths
remotely. However, in cases where the overseas voters’ biometric data

6 The last sentence of Section 12 of the Overseas Voting Act of 2013 (RA 9189 as amended by RA
10590) reads: “An overseas voter shall be presumed to be abroad until he/she applies for transfer
of his/her registration records or requests that his/her name be cancelled from the NROV.”
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are not available in the database, the transferring overseas voters may still
be required to personally appear at the Office of the Election Officer for
the live capture of their biometrics data.

SECTION 7. Days and Hours of Operations. – Starting 01 September

2020, the OFOV will be accepting applications for registration and other
transactions from Mondays to Thursdays, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, excluding
holidays, on an appointment basis as described in the succeeding
sections of this Resolution. This schedule of operations may later be
expanded or modified depending on the volume of appointment requests
received. In case temporary stoppage of operations is necessary to
prevent the spread of COVID-19, the OFOV shall coordinate with the
Information Technology Department (ITD) and the Education and
Information Department (EID) to make the necessary public service
announcements regarding the status of operations on the COMELEC
website and the other mass media platforms.

SECTION 8. No Appointment, No Entry. – Due to human resource

limitations and physical distancing requirements, the number of
applicants or visitors to the OFOV shall be limited based on the following
considerations:

a. Physical space allotted to OFOV for use as its registration center,

including the waiting area;
b. Complexity of the transactions requested; and
c. Number of appointment requests received.

Hence, all applicants or clients of OFOV will be required to secure

confirmed appointments prior to their intended date of visit.

SECTION 9. Appointment System; iRehistro and Other Electronic

Platforms. – Pending the availability of the iRehistro system, the OFOV is
authorized to use its official email address and Facebook page to receive
requests for the scheduling of appointments. Applicants or clients of
OFOV may book an appointment by:

a. Emailing the request for appointment to the OFOV’s official

email address at overseasvoting@comelec.gov.ph, including in
the said email the preferred date and time of appointment and
type of transaction;

b. Sending a direct message to the OFOV’s official Facebook page

using this URL: https://www.facebook.com/overseasvotingph;
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c. Placing a telephone call to the OFOV: (02) 8522-2251 or (02) 8521-

2952; and

d. Calling or sending a text message to any of the OFOV’s mobile

numbers:

i. For those on TNT/Smart/Sun: +63 951 875 9882

ii. For those on TM/Globe: +63 905 034 5158

SECTION 10. Pre-Visit Procedure for Applicants and the

Transacting Public; Appointment System. – In order to maintain physical
distancing and reduce wait times, applicants or clients who wish to
transact with the Office for Overseas Voting shall observe the following
procedures:

a. Book an appointment. – Applicants must contact the OFOV via

email, Facebook Messenger, telephone or SMS message to
schedule an appointment as described in the previous section.
Appointments can also be booked via the iRehistro facility once
it is available.

b. Download the Application Form or use iRehistro facility to

accomplish the form. – After determining the type of transaction,
the OFOV shall provide the appropriate application form by
email or referring the applicant to the COMELEC website where
the forms can be downloaded. Applicants may also opt to use
the iRehistro facility once it is available.

c. Accomplish the Application Form and Submit Advance Copy

via E-mail. – Applicants are encouraged to fill out the forms
electronically, except for the oath portion of the form, which
must be signed in the presence of the Election Officer. After
filling out the form, an advance copy should be sent to the OFOV
so that the data contained can already be validated or verified
prior to the applicants’ visit. If the applicant opted to use the
iRehistro system to accomplish the application form, the
applicant shall send in advance the QR code generated by the
iRehistro system.

d. Wait for confirmation of requested appointment. – Upon receipt

of the advance copy of the application form or the iRehistro-
generated QR code and validation/verification of the applicants’
information, the OFOV will send a notice to the applicant
confirming his or her appointment.
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SECTION 11. Arrival Procedures on Scheduled Appointment Date. –

Applicants or clients with confirmed appointments shall proceed to the
designated area at the Ground Floor of the Palacio del Gobernador (PDG)
Building and adhere to the following measures:

a. Bring own pen and government-issued identification card. – All

applicants or clients visiting the Commission on Elections are
encouraged to bring their own black or blue pens to fill out
forms. For proper identification, applicants or clients must also
bring any government-issued identification card and present
them upon request.

b. Wear a face mask and face shield at all times. – Applicants or

clients must wear both face masks and face shields prior to
entry into the PDG building.

c. Follow building security protocols and allow the taking of body

temperature. – Security personnel will take the body
temperature of visitors by scanning their forehead using a
contactless thermometer and will only allow entry to those
registering a temperature lower than 37.8° Celsius. Applicants
must take a mental note of their body temperature reading so
that they can write it down in their Health Declaration Forms.

d. Present screenshot or printout of confirmed appointment. – To

facilitate entry into PDG, applicants or clients must present a
printout of their confirmed appointments to the security
personnel. In case they do not have access to a printer, they may
also show an image of the confirmed appointment on their
mobile device to the concerned security personnel on duty. To
avoid crowding at the building entrance and waiting area,
applicants or visitors will only be allowed entry into the Palacio
del Gobernador Building at least thirty (30) minutes before their
scheduled appointment time.

e. Accomplish the Health Declaration Form (HDF). – All visitors of

the Commission are required to accomplish the Health
Declaration Form, which will be distributed upon entry into the
PDG building. A digital or electronic version of the HDF using
MS Forms will also be made available to applicants and visitors
to minimize the use of paper.

f. Submit the HDF and present OV forms or iRehistro-generated

QR code to OFOV personnel. – Upon arrival at the OFOV’s
overseas registration desk, applicants will be asked to present
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the accomplished HDF and other application forms, or their

digital/electronic counterparts, in case the applicants used the
iRehistro system and electronic HDF forms. Applicants or
visitors to OFOV may also be asked to present their identification
card or a Special Power of Attorney (SPA), in case they are
transacting on behalf of other persons.

SECTION 12. In Case COVID-19 Symptoms are observed. – Should

applicants or visitors register a body temperature of 37.8° Celsius and
above, they will be advised to take a five (5)-minute rest before
attempting to enter the PDG building again. If the body temperature
remains unchanged, the applicants will be advised to reschedule their
appointments at a later date. The same advice will be given to applicants
with observed COVID-19-like symptoms.

SECTION 13. Changes in Procedures and other Protocols. – The

procedures and protocols provided in this Resolution may be modified
or updated depending on the changes in policy due to supervening
circumstances that are outside the control of the Commission and the
OFOV.

SECTION 14. Compliance with Data Privacy Act of 20127 and its
Implementing Rules and Regulations, including Existing Policies of the
Commission on Data Privacy. – The OFOV shall ensure that all its
procedures and operations are compliant with the DATA PRIVACY ACT OF
2012, the Implementing Rules and Regulations issued by the National
Privacy Commission, as well as existing policies of the Commission on
data privacy.

SECTION 15. Implementing Offices and Departments. – The Office

for Overseas Voting shall primarily be responsible for the
implementation of this Resolution. To ensure compliance with existing
security protocols and anti-COVID-19 measures, the OFOV shall
regularly coordinate with the COMELEC Organic Security Force and the
Health Services Division of the Personnel Department. The daily
frontline operations of the OFOV shall be under the supervision of the
Offices of the Deputy Executive Director of Operations and the Executive
Director.

SECTION 16. Notice and Publication. – The COMELEC Secretary is

directed to provide a copy of this Resolution to the Education and
Information Department for publication in the two (2) daily newspapers
of general circulation. The Information Technology Department shall
likewise be furnished with a copy for posting on the COMELEC website.

7 Republic Act No. 10173.

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SECTION 17. Effectivity and Suppletory Application of Other

Resolutions. – This Resolution shall take effect on 01 September 2020.
Other existing and relevant Resolutions issued by the Commission En
Banc on the conduct of continuing registration of voters, procedures for
frontline services, and other related activities shall likewise apply to the
Office for Overseas Voting suppletorily.

SO ORDERED.

SHERIFF M. ABAS
Chairman

MA. ROWENA AMELIA V. GUANZON SOCORRO B. INTING

Commissioner Commissioner

MARLON S. CASQUEJO ANTONIO T. KHO, JR.

Commissioner Commissioner

CERTIFICATION

APPROVED on 26 August 2020 by the Commission En Banc

during its online regular En Banc meeting pursuant to Resolution No.
10671, promulgated 09 June 2020, entitled “SUPPLEMENTAL
RESOLUTION TO COMELEC RESOLUTION NO. 9936 PROMULGATED 15
MARCH 2015 ENTITLED ‘RULE ON THE ENACTMENT AND
PROMULGATION OF EXECUTIVE OR ADMINISTRATIVE RESOLUTIONS’
PROVIDING FOR OTHER FORMAT OF MEETINGS TO INCLUDE ONLINE
MEETINGS APPLICABLE IN TIMES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE
IMPOSITION OF COMMUNITY QUARANTINES AND SIMILAR EMERGENCY
SITUATIONS.”

CONSUELO B. DIOLA
Acting COMELEC Secretary