Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Listup in towns bugged by failure of machines
AT LEAST seven towns in Cebu encountered problems during the registration of voters because of defects in their data-capturing machines (DCM) or its peripherals, like the signature pad, camera and the gadget that captures the thumbprint.
Samboan and Daan-batayan had problems with their signature pads while Tabogon had a problem with the gadget for the thumbprint.
Samboan also failed to start on time last Sunday because they received the registration forms late.
Tudela and Sta. Fe had problems with its cameras, while Compostela and Sta. Fe had problems with the system.
For the Sangguniang Kabataan registration, Dumanjug and San Fernando also encountered problems with the system.
The Comelec office in Talisay was crammed, although registration remained orderly and 600 registrants. To prevent applicants from crowding the office, City Hall officials allowed the use of the People’s Hall upstairs.
Only 1 machine
Like other Comelec offices, that in Talisay City has only one DCM.
Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said he has requested the Commission on Elections (Comelec) head office yesterday to send a programmer to Cebu to help his technicians handle the problem with the system.
Comelec Resolution 8218, however, provides that if the DCM of the towns becomes defective or the biometrics data of the applicant cannot be captured within the registration period due to the great volume of applicants, absence of electricity or alternative power source, the election officer is allowed to receive the application and inform the applicant when to return for data capture.
Elections officers have until July 28 to accomplish the data capture. If the biometrics data capture is not finished within the period for some reason that is not the fault of the applicant, the application will still be approved.
In cases when any of the DCM peripherals become defective and the registration procedures cannot be completed, provincial election supervisors are allowed to arrange with the election officers a sharing of the working DCM peripherals with nearby cities or municipalities.
This sharing mechanism, however, is only limited to two cities and/or municipalities.
Castillano checked Comelec offices in the northern towns yesterday.
The registration went on smoothly despite the problems encountered by some towns.
But he said he might ask the head office to extend registration, which is scheduled to end on Sunday, after they assess the turnout of the week-long activity.
The Comelec began accepting the application forms at 8 a.m. but it set its cut-off time at 3 p.m. to give enough time for its personnel to complete the registration process until 6 or 7 p.m.
“For those who cannot make it to our cut-off time, we will give them priority numbers for them to line up the next day,” said Election Assistant Mariela Remorosa.
Not rowdy
She described the crowd at the Comelec office as not rowdy compared to those that lined up at poll body offices in Cebu City.
Remorosa allayed applicants’ fear that they may not be able to register, saying the Comelec will be open until Sunday.
She said the Comelec is accepting the applications for transfer of registration this week for them to vote during the synchronized barangay and SK elections in Oct. 29.
In Mandaue City, Comelec can accommodate only half of the new registrants from July 15 to 22, said City Election Officer Ferdinand Gujilde.
Gujilde said that on the first day of registration Sunday, 8,000 people were on queue at the Comelec.
They began accepting new registrants at 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.
But the local poll office can only accommodate 4,000 people, as they can only distribute 500 appointment slips each day for eight days, said Gujilde.
The slip contains the date and time the bearer is scheduled to appear at the Comelec office.
He said they just stretched the 200 to 300 per day capacity of their DCM to 500 a day.
The law prohibits the conduct of a registration within 120 days before elections, although July 11 is exactly 120 days before the SK and barangay elections on Oct. 29.
Registration of new voters- from July 15 to 22- falls within the prohibited period.
For his part, Gujilde said this eight-day registration period is just to accommodate late registrants.
“We were not supposed to hold late registration,” said Gujilde.
He said the registration should have been held 30 days after the last elections and will go on until 120 days before Oct. 29.
The 120-day period before election day will give local Comelec offices the time to do their other tasks, like preparing the voters list and other voters’ information documents.
He admitted that having the barangay elections immediately follow a national election is not ordinary. (MBG/GC/OCP)
