THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has warned the 21,000 voters in the city who still lack biometrics validation they risk losing the chance to vote in next year’s elections.
To sound off its call for biometrics validation, the Comelec launched its “No Bio, No Boto” campaign.
About 150,000 voters in the region do not have biometrics validation, Carlito Ravelo, provincial Comelec officer, told reporters during a forum at Cagayan de Oro Press Club on Thursday.
Of the 287,307 registered voters in Cagayan de Oro about 21,000 still have to submit themselves to biometrics validation, Lailani Nazi, officer-in-charge of the Comelec in the city, said.
Nazi urged these voters to visit Comelec or any of the satellite registration the Comelec has scheduled in the different barangays in the city this month until August.
“Hindi makakaboto pag hindi makaka-validate ang mga yan (voters),” she said.
Biometrics validation became a requirement for voters last year.
Nazi said about 20-50 registered voters visit the Comelec office every day for biometrics validation.
Biometrics validation will end on October 31, which is also the last day for voter registration.
“Hindi sila automatic na madi-delete ha?” said Nazi adding that after the deadline those who failed to submit themselves for biometrics validation, Comelec has to submit their records to the Election Registration Board (ERB).
It is the ERB who approve the deactivation of the individuals who failed to validate their biometrics.
It will be processed through a hearing that will last until the third week of November. “Pag na-approve sa board na for deactivation sila, madi-deactivate na sila, hindi na sila makaka-vote,” Nazi said.
Ravelo said Misamis Oriental has only about 900 voters without biometrics and like the other Comelec offices, it has sent the lists of voters without biometrics to the barangays for faster information dissemination.
The Comelec has released this tentative schedule for satellite registration on biometrics validation for each barangay in the city.
In the second district, the satellite registration will be on June 7-8 in Barangay Camaman-an; June 14 in Macasandig; June 21 in Nazareth; June 22-23 in Lapasan; June 28-29 in Macabalan; July 5-6 in Bugo; July 12 in Puntod; and July 17 in Gusa.
In the 1st district the registration will be July 10 in Bayabas; July 19-20 in Kauswagan; July 26 in lower Balulang; August 2 in Bulua; August 7 in Patag; August 9 in Lumbia; and August 16-17 in Carmen.