At least 15T lose chance to vote

CEBU, Philippines – The Commission on Elections field office has noted over 15,000 Cebu City residents who will have to be deactivated from the official registration records for failing to complete their biometrics data.

These voters who failed to submit for validation on the given schedule from May 6 to October 31 will be disenfranchised for the next automated elections.

Local Comelec officials clarified the voter’s registration record has not been removed from the database but the deactivation would bar the voter from casting a ballot come May 2016. A voter with a deactivated registration record may file for reactivation in the next scheduled registration, the Comelec said.

“Dili sila kaboto sa May 9, 2016 elections. Ang naa sa balaud deactivate raman, dili man ingon nga delete… Pwede makaboto kun maka-reactivate na sila for the next (registration for) barangay elections,” said lawyer Marchel Sarno, election officer of Cebu City’s north district.

He said that in the north district (or the city’s first district), there are at least 8,513 voters that have no biometrics data while 824 others have incomplete data. The biometrics data include the voter’s photograph, signature and fingerprints taken for its digital version.

Sarno said incomplete data is tantamount to having no biometrics.

In the south district, there are at least 6,127 voters recorded with no biometrics data.

“Dili na kabotar kay atong kuhaon na. Most likely, kanang mga tawhana ni-transfer nana. Uban ana namatay na, gamay na lang kaayo ang wala kaabot sa registration period. Ang uban ana posible nilarga abroad,” said lawyer Edwin Cadungog, the district’s election officer.

Aside from deactivated records, the local poll body also noted that an average of 70,000 deceased voters is delisted every three years both from north and south.

Despite this, the Comelec noted an increase in the number of registrants. An estimated 292,858 individuals registered in the north district, Sarno said. This number, however, can still decrease because some have transferred residence.

Sarno said there was a 10.5 percent increase in the number of registrants compared to last year’s 265,000 newly registered or transferred voters.

Cadungog also noted an increase in the south district – from last year’s 310,000 to the current 328,592. —/JMO (FREEMAN)