Number of voters without biometric data still high

CEBU, Philippines - With only a month left before the deadline of the voters’ registration for the 2016 elections, the Commission on Elections said more than a hundred thousand voters in Cebu have yet to comply with the biometric requirement.

 As of August 31, a total of 124, 305 registered voters don’t have biometric data. The number, however, is already lower compared to the 135, 734 recorded on July 20, 2015 during the hearing of the Election Registration Board. The latest figure is at least 4.6 percent of the 2, 587, 314 registered voters in the province, including the highly-urbanized cities.

The ongoing registration would be temporarily suspended from October 12 to 16 to give way to the filing of certificate of candidacy. The poll body also set October 31 as the last day of registration, which includes reactivation, updating and validation of registration of records.

Registered voters with lack or without biometrics have 21 days left to work on the requirements; otherwise, they would be disenfranchised come May 9, 2016 national and local elections, said lawyer Ferdinand Gujilde, Comelec-Cebu provincial election officer.

Under Republic Act 10367 (An Act Providing for Mandatory Biometrics Voter Registration), voters who fail to submit the biometrics data will be deactivated from the voters’ list and not be allowed to vote.

Biometrics registration involves putting into records the voter’s digital photograph, signature and fingerprints.

It was earlier reported that a Comelec office can accommodate up to 300 transactions in a town every day and 700 in a city.

Comelec offices are open from Mondays through Saturdays, except for those in highly-urbanized cities which transact business on Sundays.

Noting the remaining days and the number of voters which have yet to comply with biometrics requirements, Gujilde said large throngs of people, including new registrants, are expected at Comelec offices during crunch time “as usual”.

He added that Comelec-Cebu is also proposing for a satellite registration at malls during the last day of registration in anticipation of the scenario. — (FREEMAN)