40,000 purged from Maguindanao voter’s list

COTABATO CITY—Some 40,000 voters have been removed from the Maguindanao voter’s list for failure to validate their records through the biometrics system or due to their failure to vote during the two previous elections, officials said yesterday.

Estelita Orbase, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) supervisor in Maguindanao, said those removed from the registry would not be able to vote in the May 10 elections.

“Only the Comelec central office can resolve the problem of voters whose names have been removed from the new Comelec list of registered voters,” Orbase said.

She said that 34,142 voters were scratched for their failure to vote in 2004 and 2007 and that their removal would no longer be reconsidered.

Orbase said that 14,152 voters also were delisted for failure to validate their records.

One of those stricken off the list was reelectionist Councilor Florante Formento.

Formento, a former journalist, said he was unsure now if the Comelec would be able to reconsider his case with the campaign period fast approaching.

City election officer Badelles Macaan has flown to Manila to take up the matter with the Comelec.

“We were told he will try to justify my case and that of the over 14,000 other voters with the central office, but up to now there is no word yet and we are running out of time,” he said.

Under the law, only registered voters can run in any elective post. Charlie C. Señase, Inquirer Mindanao –Philippine Daily Inquirer