Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Ahead of his 2016 presidential bid, Vice President Jejomar Binay urged voters to register their biometrics information with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) early to ensure they will not be disenfranchised.
“Our right to suffrage is one of the hallmarks of the democracy we fought so hard to attain. It is our responsibility to ensure that we get to exercise this right,” Binay said in a statement Monday.
Biometrics registration, which aims to curb double-registration and multiple voting, will start on May 6 and end on October 31, 2015.
Republic Act (RA) 10367 requires all registered voters to have their biometrics such as fingerprint, photograph, signature, etc. to be recorded by the Comelec for validation.
Binay said that Comelec would open their offices on Sundays for voters who don’t have time to register during weekdays.
“I am thankful that Comelec took into consideration our kababayans who work from Monday to Friday and made it convenient for them to register,” Binay said.
“With Comelec offices open on Sundays, there should be no more excuses to miss biometrics registration,” he said.
Binay also requested Comelec to make sure their offices are easily accessible to persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens by setting up desks on the ground floor.
“If the offices are on higher floors, maybe they can provide registration desks on the ground floor to accommodate PWDs and senior citizens who may have difficulty in walking,” Binay said.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez earlier said at least 9.6 million of the 53 million registered voters could be disenfranchised if they fail to undergo biometrics registration before November 1, 2015.
Philippine citizens who are at least 18 years old on or before May 9, 2016 are eligible to register.
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