No Bio, No Boto: Upheld

Leaders are chosen by the people. For people to effectively choose a leader, they themselves must be qualified to vote. Our constitution provides the requirements of a voter. These requirements are very basic but important. Citizens already know these requirements on top of their heads since they have been practicing the right for many years.

“No Bio, No Boto” was signed by the President last 2013. This did not escape the critical public. Many strongly opposed the promulgation of this law because they felt that it is an additional requirement for voters. Right away, they saw this implementation is an impediment in exercising their rights.

Kabataan party-list group was questioning the constitutionality of RA 10367 and other COMELEC resolutions. They are mainly arguing that it is a violation of the constitutional right of the Filipinos to vote because they will not be able to do so despite existing and active registration if they fail to register their biometric information. But the Supreme Court upheld the new system. They said that it is just one step towards voting and it is not one of the elements that qualifies a citizen to vote.

The first thing they noticed was the negative side of the implementation. First, they will have to line up again or technically register again. Second, they believe having their information stored is just another temporary thing. For them these altogether is a waste of their time and effort. Little did they know that this would help make the process or the system easier in the future.

Easy is just one part. Security is another. The process is, capturing the biometrics of the voting public and storing them for future elections. This will not only help in faster pulling up of information but also to avoid the usual crimes committed during election. Fraudulent activities are rampant during elections. This system is mainly focusing on the authenticity of the information of the voters. No two persons have the same fingerprint. Their pictures are also taken for further verification purposes. These steps are both for the security of the public and their votes.

Many tried to comply despite the opposition of others. Even the senior citizens lined up and had their biometrics captured. A lot of people even registered at the last minute just to make sure that they will be able to vote on the 2016 elections.

I personally believe that the voting public understands the objective of the government. And like in many cases, not everyone will agree with a project or a proposal for change. But the COMELEC launched this campaign, was signed by the president, and was successfully implemented as expected.