MANILA, Philippines - Fourteen months before the May 2016 polls, 4.7 million registered voters may be stricken off the official list of voters for not having their biometric data taken by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The 4.7 million is down from the 9.3 million last May.
“They cannot vote if they will not have their biometrics taken,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez posted yesterday on his Twitter account @jabjimenez.
Republic Act 10367, or the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013, requires voters to submit their biometrics.
The Comelec started the voter’s registration in May last year in the hope of capturing the 9.3 million registered voters without biometrics.
Voters have until October 2015 to validate their registration at local Comelec offices.
Jimenez urged voters not to wait for the last minute to do so for their own comfort. He said it would be unfortunate if many voters would not be allowed to exercise their right to vote just because of their failure to meet the biometrics requirement.