MANILA — The poll body has found some 400,000 double registrants for the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

According to Commission on Elections chairman George Garcia, the figure can increase to half a million once they are finished weeding out the so-called flying voters.

"As of today, those who were able to register from December 12 to January 31 this year, we were able to verify that there are at least 400,000 double or multiple registrants," he told ANC's "Rundown" Thursday.

"We will be finishing with our assessment by the end of May and hopefully, it will reach at least 500,000."

The poll chief warned those behind the fraudulent registrations.

"We are going to expose that. We are going to make a detail as to when or where are the places where there are double or multiple registrants," he said.

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Garcia's statement comes as Sen. Imee Marcos calls for an investigation into the massive fake registration of voters.

Marcos has alleged the fraudulent registrations were "bankrolled by big-time businessmen, contractors, and suppliers in anticipation of the increase in the internal revenue allotment of barangays brought about by the Supreme Court's ruling in Mandanas vs. Executive Secretary et al."

In the interview, Garcia admitted there was a need to revise election laws to punish flying voters.

"It's a perennial problem, always a problem not only of the Comelec but the entire country," he said.

"Indeed, there are individuals who wanted to exploit the defects in our laws... that's why we can even see flying voters. Voters who are not really from this area or voters who are being led in masse by certain individuals or politicians.

"Indeed, other than the efforts of the Commission on Elections, there should be amendments of certain laws especially on the issues of registration of voters," he added.

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