EDITORIAL - Biometrics failure

The Comelec says up to eight million voters still do not have biometrics data (digital photographs, signatures and fingerprints) and therefore have no voter identification cards. These voters are being asked to visit their Comelec offices so they can comply with the requirement.

What the Comelec is not saying is that the vast majority of these eight million voters actually visited their Comelec offices long ago to have the required biometrics data taken but that, for reasons known only to the Comelec, such data got captured erroneously, or were corrupted, and even perhaps lost.

In other words, something failed in the process without the Comelec ever acknowledging the failure. A great many of those who fell victim to these failure are merely told whenever they log on to the Comelec website to inquire that they have no biometrics data.

The Comelec does not claim an iota of responsibility for the fiasco (something that should be looked into and investigated, considering the huge amounts of money used to procure the equipment when biometrics data capturing was first made a requirement).

Instead, the burden is passed on to the hapless voter, making it appear that it is the voter who has been remiss for the absence of his biometrics date in the Comelec files. But the voters did try to comply, braving the long queues to do so, and the Comelec failed them.

And now the Comelec has the gall to say there are eight million voters who do not have biometrics data and should go to Comelec for the purpose of providing them. If these voters do not have them, they have no choice but to provide them. But the least the Comelec could do is not make it appear they are to blame.

It is not the fault of voters that the biometrics scheme failed them in their time. Maintaining the integrity of the biometrics data capturing machines is the responsibility of Comelec. If it cannot do so, it should not stack up the weight of the problem on the shoulders of the voter.

No wonder a great many of those eight million voters allowed themselves to be disenfranchised by choice. They elected not to vote anymore both in protest and as a matter of conscience. Besides, with political choices becoming as bad as they are, the compelling reason to vote has grown less and less.