MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will resume printing some 34.2 million voter’s identification cards after they have been “cleansed” through its Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) program.
In a minute resolution, the Comelec said 35 million voter’s records with biometrics have undergone AFIS processes.
Of the 35 million, a total of 738,640 “were found to be true hits and these records were already forwarded to the field offices for deletion” from the database.
The resumption of printing was recommended by AFIS project director for operations Teopisto Elnas Jr. and AFIS director for technical matters Ester Villaflor-Roxas.
The Comelec added the design for the voter’s ID has been finalized while the ID forms and printers are already available.
The poll body had started using data capturing machines (DCM) in registering voters but it failed to acquire cross-matching machines to identify voters with double or multiple registrations.
In 2009, the agency had stopped distributing voter’s IDs to concentrate on the preparations for the May 10, 2010 automated polls.
It also awarded the then P1.5-million contract to supply the AFIS machines to Unison Computer System Inc., Lamco Paper Products Co. Inc. and NEC Philippines Inc.
The Comelec is hopeful that through the AFIS program, its books of voters will be free from double and multiple registrants in time for the 2013 polls, thus, bolstering efforts to make the election clean.
For the recent barangay elections, the Comelec had registered 52.7 million voters.