Comelec urges Filipinos to ensure dead relatives are off voters’ list

Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—As the nation prepares to mark All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, the Commission on Elections is asking the public to help ensure that its voter list contains only the names of the living.

“We need the assistance of the public in determining if their dearly departed are still in the list of voters,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement.

Jimenez said that by using the Precinct Finder on the Comelec website www.comelec.gov.ph, the public may check if their dead relatives are still on the list of registered voters.

“Please verify the registration status of your dearly departed loved ones using the Precinct Finder facility on the Comelec website. If their registration status is still active, please report this immediately to the local Comelec office so their names may be removed,” he said.

Removing the names of the dead from the voter list, Jimenez said, is crucial to maintaining a clean and transparent list, “a duty that is not the Comelec’s alone, but of the public as well.”

“It is the duty of the living to vote and to make sure the dead are allowed to rest in peace,” he added.

Meanwhile, the election body released Saturday the schedule of satellite registration for indigenous people.

In Bukidnon, the Manobo and Matigsalug tribes may register in Barangay Sunida, Kitaotao on Oct. 26 to 28, 2014.

On Oct. 27-28, the registration for T’boli/B’laan tribes in South Cotabato will be held in Sitio Datal Tablo in Barangay Maan, T’boli; while for Subanen indigenous groups in Zamboanga del Norte, the registration will be staged in Barangays Serongan and Palaranan in the municipality of Manukan.

For the Matigsalog, Tinananon, Manabo and Bagobo in North Cotabato, registration will be on Oct. 27-29 in Barangay Katipunan, Arakan.

Bago and Kankana-ey tribes of La Union may register in Barangay Ramot, Santol on Oct. 28, while Ata and Manobo of Davao del Norte may proceed to Sitio JBL, Sto. Nino, Talaingod to register on Oct. 28-29.

The Comelec has set the registration for Sultan Kudarat’s B’laan indigenous people on Oct. 28-30 in Barangay Poblacion, Columbio.

On Oct. 30, Ibaloi and Kankana-ey tribes of Benguet may register in San Pascual, Tuba; while Agta and Kalinga indigenous groups in Isabela may proceed to San Jose, San Mariano to register.

For B’laan, Manobo, Tagakaolo tribes in Davao del Sur, registration will be held in Malita Poblacion on Nov. 7 to 10.