SC asked to compel Comelec to extend voters’ registration to January 8 as thousands still without biometrics
With thousands still without biometrics two days before deadline, the Supreme Court (SC) was asked yesterday to compel the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend up to Jan. 8, 2016 the voter’s registration that ends tomorrow.
In a petition filed by the Kabataan Party-list and several youth organizations, the SC was also asked to nullify the two Comelec resolutions that “illegally” pegged the deadline for voter’s registration on Oct. 31, 2015.
The High Court is on its traditional All Souls’ Day recess until Nov. 8. However, under its rules, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno can act on urgent and transcendental issues even during the tribunal’s recess.
Illegal The petition stated that under Section 8 of the Voter’s Registration Act, “the personal filing of application of registration of voters shall be conducted daily in the office of the Election Officer during regular office hours; but no registration shall, however, be conducted during the period starting one hundred twenty days before a regular election and ninety days before a special election.”
“Despite this provision, Comelec has illegally set the deadline of the voter’s registration on Oct. 31, 2015, pursuant to Resolution No. 9853 and Resolution No. 9981,” the petition stressed.
Aside from Kabataan Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, the petition was signed by Sarah Jane Elago, national president of the National Union of Students of the Philippines; Vencer Crisostomo, chairperson of Anakbayan; Marjohara Tucay, national president of Kabataan Party-list; Marc Lino Abila, national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines; Lean Porquia, national president of the BPO Industry Employees Network; Charisse Bañez, chairperson of the League of Filipino Students, and UP student Enriko Caramat.
At the same time, the petitioners told the SC that “there is an existing jurisprudence that proves that setting an October 31 registration deadline is illegal.”
Delisted They said that “in 2009, the SC has already ruled that the Comelec cannot prematurely terminate the continuing registration of voters before the prohibitive period of election registration defined under the law – 120 days before the regular elections.”
The petitioners were referring to the SC case Palatino v. Comelec (G.R. No. 189868) which declared null and void the setting of the Oct. 31, 2009 deadline for the May 10, 2010 elections, and directed poll body to extend the voter registration period.
The petition stated that Ridon had requested the Comelec to extend the voters registration period and to comply with the law.
“However, we feel that the Comelec will again act on this request halfheartedly, that is why we seek relief before the High Tribunal,” the petitioners said.
Published reports stated that even the Comelec itself admitted last Oct. 27 that about three million voters still have no biometrics data and would be delisted if they could not comply with the Oct. 31 deadline.
Aggravating Among the aggravating circumstances cited by the petitioners in seeking the extension of the voter’s registration period:
“Comelec has admitted in media releases that several problems have been encountered during the period of registration of voters, namely, long queues and waiting, with some registration centers receiving up to 1,000 registrants per day; insufficient registration documents; malfunctioning or insufficient number of data capturing machines (DCM); and that DCM, which records the voters’ fingerprints, photographs and pertinent information, can only process around 250 applications a day.”
“The implementation of the ‘No Bio, No Boto’ policy, which automatically delists registered voters who fail to have their biometrics data captured, pursuant to Republic Act No. 10367 or the Mandatory Biometrics Voter Registration Act.
“The fact that the respondent suspended the registration for voters in all Comelec offices for a week – from Oct. 12 to 16 – to give way to the scheduled filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) of national and local candidates.
“This fact in itself is a violation of RA 8189, which provides for a system of continuing registration of voters that shall be conducted daily, except for the period starting one hundred twenty (120) days before a regular election.
“With the very high volume of first-time registrants and voters in the May 9, 2016 elections, the Oct. 31, 2015 deadline set by respondent for the filing of application of registration of voters provides is utterly insufficient to accommodate first-time youth registrants, voters without biometrics, and voters highly eager to participate in the May 9, 2016elections.”
Zamboanga
In Zamboanga city, 1st District Rep. Celso Lobregat and 2nd District Rep. Lilia Nuño fear that thousands of qualified voters will not be able to vote in 2016 after the local (Comelec) reported that about 95,879 registered voters have either incomplete biometrics or no biometrics at all.
The number is down from 111,648 last July.
“I doubt if Comelec will be able to reduce the number of qualified voters who failed to complete their registration to 90,000,” Lobregat said.
Voter registration started in May 2014.
Caraga situation In the Caraga region, thousands made a bee line to the local Comelec office in the five provinces and six cities in Northeastern Mindanao.
The influx of deadline beaters were noted in the cities of Tandag, Surigao, Bislig, Bayugan and Butuan city.
Some Comelec offices already set up tents in their offices to accommodate new registrants daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Oct. 31, 2015.
To date, already 1,399,544 have complete biometrics regionwide while less than 1,000 registered voters with incomplete biometrics data and less than 55, 351 without biometrics.
Agusan del Sur has the highest number of registered voters without biometrics data and the Comelec is concentrating on this area.
Cebu registration
In Cebu City, the voter registration today and Saturday, the last day of the registration period, will be held at Robinson’s Cybergate located near Fuente Osmeña rotunda and Chong Hua Hospital.
Lawyer Marchel Sarno, Comelec north district election officer said the registration will no longer be held in their offices but in the malls from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
However, this week, the Comelec office along Osmeña Blvd. will issue voter certifications.
Sarno said the north and south election offices have doubled their data capturing machines from two to four each in anticipation of the huge number of people who may go to satellite registration booths. (PNA)