24M voters may need to register anew, says solon

MANILA, Philippines - Some 24 million voters may need to register anew with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in time for the 2010 elections after a bill seeking to purge the voters list was passed. The House of Representatives has approved on third reading House Bill 6052 purging the voters list of election cheats. Author Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. (Makati City) said this means some 24 million voters may have to register again as thye have not undergone the biometrics process. “They will be required to appear before the election officer of their place of registration to verify their record and their photographs, fingerprints, and signatures would be taken at the same time," Locsin said. Under the measure, registered voters as of the October 29, 2007 barangay elections and those who registered after that date are required to undergo the biometric process to qualify for the 2010 elections. Locsin said the process would use the automated fingerprint identification system or (AFIS), which scans and compares all of the voters’ fingerprints from all over the country. The biometrics recording system could determine if a voter has registered more than once for election purposes. He said that of the 48 million registered voters in the country, some 24 million have questionable records. “The registered voters list contained double and multiple registrants," he said. “Once completed, the AFIS can be utilized and the problem of double or multiple registrants is hopefully eliminated," Locsin added. The measure mandates the Comelec to establish a system wherein the electronic data generated by biometric registration shall be available to election officers at the precinct level for them to verify the identity of a voter. The database generated by biometric registration shall be secured by the Commission and shall not be used, under any circumstance, for any other purpose other than for electoral exercises. - GMANews.TV