8 M voters without biometric data – Comelec

MANILA, Philippines - Up to eight million voters remain without biometrics.

However, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is confident that the system will cover all voters in time for the 2016 presidential elections.

Spokesman James Jimenez said they are now working double time to ensure that all Comelec offices will have data capturing machines when the continuing voter’s registration is resumed.

“Seven to eight million voters still do not have biometrics data,” he said. “But we are confident that we can comply with the law by 2016 elections. We have been working on that.”  

Under Republic Act No. 10367, the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013, voters who fail to submit their biometrics data for validation before the May 2016 polls shall be deactivated from the voters’ lists.

Jimenez said the bulk of voters with no biometrics are those who had registered early on.

“This is the reason why we urged those who registered, like for the 2004 elections, and those who still do not have their voter’s ID, to go to their Comelec offices to validate their records,” he said.

Biometrics data pertain to the digital photographs, signatures and fingerprints of voters.

The data are cross-matched through Automated Identification System to determine voters with double and multiple registrations.