GOING into the final days of the voter registration period, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will deploy additional personnel to man list-up sites nationwide.
Comelec Resolution No. 10882 has authorized the poll body to accept applications and hire more personnel to handle voter registration machines (VRMs).
“Now, therefore, the Commission on Elections, resolves to… authorize plantilla casual employees hired by the Commission, in areas where additional VRMs will be deployed, to receive, process personal information from applicants, and have access to the VRMs during registration period for purposes of voter registration only,” said the Comelec.
Previously, the Commission only allows regular Comelec employees to handle and operate the VRMs, and to act on other matters that require access to data information of registrants.
Similarly, only regular Comelec employees are authorized to receive and process the personal information in the Voter Registration System (VRS) of the applicants for purposes of voter registration.
The poll body said the move is due to the expected big number of applicants in the final days leading to the January 31 deadline.
“In a recent assessment conducted by the Commission, it was determined that the insufficiency of VRMs and personnel who are authorized and capable to operate the VRMs largely contributed to the long queues of applicants in the registration venues, especially during the tail end of the registration period,” it noted.
“In line with the objective to enhance voters’ registration experience, it is necessary to augment the existing number of VRMs and personnel allowed to operate the same in areas with influx of registrants as determined by the Commission,” added the Comelec.
The Comelec en banc has directed the Information Technology Department (ITD) to provide extensive training to the employees/personnel who will be tapped to properly handle information pursuant to data privacy policy of the Commission, and the technical aspect of operating the VRMs.
It said it will also require the said employees to execute and submit to the Election Officer, prior to commencement of duties, a Non- Disclosure Agreement (NDA) stating, among others, the duty to duly secure the confidentiality of all personal information of applicants received and processed during the registration period.
The Comelec also directed concerned Election Officers (EOs) to exercise immediate control and supervision with due diligence over the plantilla casual employees authorized to operate the VRMs during the registration period.
EOs will also be issued to ensure that the said employees perform their duties strictly in accordance with the pertinent laws and rules on voter registration, data privacy, and the Field Office Systems and Data Policy.
Lastly, the Commission also directed the Regional Election Directors (REDS), Assistant Regional Election Directors (AREDS), and Provincial Election Supervisors (PESS) to exercise overall supervision over the plantilla casual employees, under the principle of command responsibility, and to ensure the proper implementation of the guidelines set.
An estimated 1.1 million applications across the country have been filed with the Comelec since voter registration resumed on December 12, 2022.
