Celebrities urged: Get voters to register

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has urged celebrities to use their star power to encourage Filipinos on social media to cast their votes in the 2016 presidential elections.

With five months left for voters to register their biometrics information with the poll agency, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez on Tuesday took to Twitter to seek help in boosting awareness for voter registration.

“Dear celebrities on Twitter: Many of your fans won’t be able to vote in 2016 because they don’t have biometrics. Please help us raise awareness,” said Jimenez. “And by ‘celebs on Twitter’ I mean everyone with 10 to 10 million followers.”

Biometrics data refers to the automated identification of an individual, particularly his/her photograph, fingerprint and signature, as captured by the Comelec’s Voter Registration Machine, which is a desktop computer equipped with a digital camera, fingerprint scanner and signature pad.

Comelec records showed that over four million Filipinos could lose their eligibility to vote in the May 2016 elections unless they have their biometrics data taken.

The Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013 provides that voters who fail to submit for validation prior to the May 2016 elections shall be deactivated from the voters’ list and shall not be allowed to vote.

Jimenez reminded the Filipino citizens of voting age that they have only until Oct. 31 to submit to the biometrics process at the Comelec.

He said local government officials could also help their constituents update their data but the registrants who come to the Comelec offices would be accommodated on a “first come, first served” basis.–Jocelyn R. Uy