Thousands of Baguio folks face poll disqualification

BAGUIO CITY – Thousands of Baguio voters face disqualification in voting in next year’s elections, Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping Jr. said as he urged voters to verify their status so they will not be disenfranchised.

Aliping made the call after the Comelec disclosed that thousands of Baguio voters may lose the right to vote next year because they still have to give their biometrics taken.

The Comelec said on February 15 2013, President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act 10367 which mandates that all voters must have their biometrics taken in order to ensure that their votes are protected.

“This means that when you go to your local Comelec office to file an application, your biometrics data will be captured using the Comelec’s Voter Registration Machine (VRM). The VRM makes use of a digital camera, a fingerprint scanner, and a signature pad to capture your biometrics,” Comelec officials explained.

“Due to this law, all previously registered voters without biometrics are required to subject themselves to biometrics capture through the validation procedure. All concerned are given until October 31, 2015 to comply with this requirement,” they added.

Without the biometric information in the Comelec’s data base, the poll body will be forced to cancel or deactivate the concerned voter’s registration record and will not be allowed to vote in the May 2016 elections.

This call is in  #NoBioNoBoto campaign of the Comelec which aims to spread awareness of this requirement to all voters in the country.

Aliping said that voters must have their biometrics taken so they will not be excluded in the coming national and local elections.

“Next year is a very important election year because we will be choosing our next president and vice president who will lead our country for the next six years. Our future depends on all registered voters voting according to their free conscience.”

He added that voters may verify their voter’s registration record and find out if they still need to visit the local Comelec office and have their biometrics taken by simply visiting the Comelec website and click on the Precinct Finder facility of the site.

“You can also directly visit the Comelec office along Gov. Pack Road to see for yourself if your biometrics have been captured,” Aliping said.