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Voters registration period not extended

MANILA - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Juan Andres Bautista has directed Election Officers in registration centers in the country to accommodate as many people as they can who would like to have their biometrics taken and validate their registration on the last day of the registration period on Saturday.

“It’s the last day of registration so ang amin namang direktiba is that we will try to accommodate as many as we can,” he said in a telephone interview.

With this, the poll body chief said that they would no longer extend the registration period, noting that it may interfere in their schedule in connection with the preparations for the next year’s polls.

“Kasi nga ang potential problem it may interfere with out timeframe for our election and that extending the voters registration may impact our preparation,” Bautista said.

But, he noted that the registration period, in some areas in Region 2 that were affected by typhoon Lando, will be extended for one day.

“It was only Region 2 they were the ones who asked if they can extend. Ang gusto yata nila one day. Now ako naman well we give them the discretion if ever they wanted to extend,” Bautista said.

At the same time, he is leaving it up to the Supreme Court to decide on the petition filed by Kabataan Party-list to stop them from implementing the Oct. 31 deadline and compel them to extend the registration until Jan. 8, 2016.

“It is up to the SC, just like what I’ve said we gave the people 17 months, one and a half year for people to register and validate their biometrics,” he added.

Registration centers in local Comelec offices, malls and other poll body-designated registration areas, are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Comelec has implemented a 12-hour shift, which started last October 17 until October 31 in anticipation of a big number of deadline beaters.

Based on poll body records, there are some 3 million registered voters that do not have biometrics.

The nationwide registration startedon May 6, 2014.

According to Republic Act 10367, or the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013, voters, who fail to have their biometrics taken prior to the May 2016 elections, shall be deactivated from the voters’ list and shall not be allowed to vote.

Biometrics data refers to the automated identification of an individual, particularly his/her photograph, fingerprint, and signature. (PNA)

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