Comelec wants SC to lift TRO vs 'No Bio, No Boto'

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing to urge the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the "No Bio, No Boto" campaign.

Comelec Chair Andy Bautista on Monday said in an interview with radio dzMM said that the TRO affects the commission's preparations for the 2016 elections.

"Ang aming pakiusap, mas maganda kung i-lift 'yung TRO para lang makausad na ang aming paghahanda," Bautista said.

Bautista earlier warned of a possible postponement of the 2016 elections if the SC fails to lift the TRO against the campaign.

The Comelec is set to release the final voters' list by December 15 but due to the TRO, it may have to restore the names of more than 2 million voters that have been deactivated due to the lack of biometrics.

Bautista noted that the TRO would affect the commission's preparations for the election materials, particularly the ballots to be printed and machines to be rented.

He defended the "No Bio, No Boto" policy, citing that it is provided under Republic Act 10367 or the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act.

"Ang pakay ng batas ay linisin ang voters' list. This is part and parcel of the police power of the state," Bautista said.

Bautista said in an earlier interview with radio dzBB that he plans to write a letter to the high court to lift the TRO as soon as possible.

“I was thinking of writing the Supreme Court and notifying them of the urgency of resolving the case and lifting the temporary restraining order, otherwise we may have a problem with that,” Bautista told dzBB in Filipino.

Last week, the SC issued a TRO against the policy following the petition of several groups led by Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon.