Palace hands-off on SC resolution on Comelec's "No Bio, No Boto" policy
By Joann Santiago
MANILA, Dec. 16 (PNA) -- Malacanang is leaving it up to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on what steps to make following the Supreme Court's (SC) issuance of a Resolution dismissing the petition against the "No Bio, No Boto" (No biometrics, No vote) policy.
"We leave it to the COMELEC's best judgment, as an independent constitutional body, on how to proceed in the light of the Supreme Court ruling, in terms of ensuring that preparations for the holding of the May 2016 elections are in place in accordance with its timetable," Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Wednesday.
The High Court, earlier in the day, issued a Resolution dismissing the petition filed by several individuals including Kabataan Partylist Representative Terry Ridon aimed to stop Comelec from implementing its program to require voters to have biometrics to be able to vote in the May 2016 national polls.
The petitioners claimed that the biometrics requirements disenfranchised some 2.4 million voters.
However, the Electoral body maintained that the biometrics requirements is in accordance to Republic Act 10367, otherwise known as "An Act Providing for Mandatory Biometrics Voter Registration", which President Benigno Aquino III signed in February 2013.
It said the law is aimed at cleansing voters' list.
It added that voters with incomplete or corrupted biometrics data may still vote in next year's national polls. (PNA)
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=81606.0
