Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr.: At least 400,000 PWDs INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has called on barangay (village) officials to continue providing assistance to persons with disabilities (PWDs) who may want to register for the 2016 polls even after the National Registration Day for Voters with Disabilities ended on Sunday.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez appealed to barangay officers to provide PWDs with transportation to and from Comelec offices to be able to register.
“We are asking them if you want to help your constituents, prioritize PWDs,” Jimenez told reporters in an interview, noting that one of the problems cited by this group was the difficulty of commuting to the Office of the Election Officer.
Jimenez said that over a year before the election, barangay officials are not prohibited from shouldering the transportation expenses of potential voters.
“The elections are still far off so there is a huge chance the assistance provided will not be relevant,” he said.
In a separate interview, Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the election body was aiming to enlist at least 400,000 PWDs in the next elections. So far, roughly 410,000 PWDs had not yet registered or entered their biometrics data into the Comelec voter list.
Of the 410,000, about 290,000 PWDs do not have or have incomplete biometrics data while the rest have yet to register with the Comelec, Brillantes said.
The biometrics data refers to the automated identification of an individual, particularly his or her photograph, fingerprint and signature, as captured by the Comelec’s Voter Registration Machine.
The Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013, or Republic Act No. 10367, states that voters without their biometrics recorded prior to the May 2016 elections shall be deactivated from the voters list and shall not be allowed to vote.
The Comelec chief also disclosed that the election body would set another special day for the registration of PWDs next year.