Llamas, Roberto Stefan S.
JD 4102
No Bio, No Boto
Every
time elections are held in the country, whether from small baranggay elections
to the big ones like Senetorial or Presidential elections, there are always
issues that resurfaces, issues which includes; non-registered voters, the
qualifications of voters, dead voters that somehow casted their votes, and the
all encompassing one, vote buying. However the issue that the No Bio, No boto
scheme wants to eradicate is that there are unregistered voters that voted and
there are deceased voters that could cast their votes. Members of the public have
different stands on this Law, some agree while others disapprove to such.
The
Kabataan party-list was one who disapproves. According to the Kabataan
party-list, the said law was unconstitutional as it would deprive ones rights
to vote and that it would disenfranchise millions of voters. They’re contention
was that the law created a “substantial requirement” other than those provide
under the 1987 Constitution regarding Suffrage. However the Supreme Court
argues that it does not bar any person from voting, the law is merely a step
for one to vote and does not add another requirement. The SC further contends
that the regulation was narrowly tailored to achieve the compelling state
interest of establishing a clean, complete, permanent and updated list of
voters, and was demonstrably the least restrictive means to promote that
interest.
I
agree with what the SC ruled as their decision. The law is created not to
deprive ones right to vote, but rather to filter those who can vote. It is
about time that there would somewhat be a guaranteed way that the elections
this year could be clean as to who gets to vote. In terms of clean and
filtered, there would no longer be mysterious votes cast beyond the grave and
that those who fraudulently uses someone else’s identity would be eradicated
and many more of such troubling problems that every time elections arrive.
Honestly
there is no trouble at all upon getting ones biometrics and reassuring to
oneself that they can vote. The big questions now falls to ones morality,
either if they would be diligent enough to make sure they could get their
biometrics or if their laziness would prevail. Sure, there are some people who
would be aggravated if they were not informed of such a change. It would now be
the responsibility of the government to inform every person, and the public to
know what is the changes to the voting system.
This
is not a question whether ones right is violated or not, but rather it is a
question if one would allow the change and be responsible enough to make the
change. Like any other change that comes into our country, either big or small,
there will be a lot who would oppose, either that their rights were violated,
their principles or demands were not met, or just because the crab-mentality
the we Filipinos have that makes us just join the band wagon and oppose without
any reason. Be as it may, change is coming, whether we accept it or not, we do
need how we chose the next leaders of our country, and that starts with who
would chose which leader that may be.
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