Drop in number of voters in Dumaguete alarms Comelec

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) voiced alarm over the sudden drop in the number of voters in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental province. Online news site Visayan Daily Star reported that thousands who failed to vote twice last year have not yet applied for the reactivation of their status. Comelec officer-in-charge for Dumaguete City Carmencita Cañares said records show that in October last year, the total number of registered voters in Dumaguete was 66,214, but the figure went down. She said that aside from those who failed to vote twice, many have transferred their residences to neighboring towns while some have died. But she said the registration will still continue until December this year. The decrease was among the topics discussed in a conference Monday called by provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba. Also tackled during the meeting was the upgrading of their computers in time for the automation of the 2010 local and national elections. The report said Comelec technicians are now installing an upgraded version of a capturing machine that will work together with the automation system. Aba assured new registrants that their identification cards will be out soon, amid queries about delays in their issuance. - GMANews.TV