BY: CHARLES NIKKO LIMON

Just days before the elections, some voters were unable to find their designated polling precincts using the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) precinct finder.

Albert, a registered voter, visited the COMELEC office in Baguio to clarify his polling location after failing to locate it online.

“This is the first time this happened. I’ve always been an active voter, I even voted in the last barangay elections,” Albert said. “But when I verified this week, they said someone had the same name as mine.”

Fortunately, after a few minutes at the Comelec office, Albert was able to confirm his polling precinct.

COMELEC Baguio Election Officer Atty. John Paul Martin explained that the issue often stems from incorrect input of personal information.

“If you input your data incorrectly, your name or date of birth, for example, then it won’t match our records,” Martin said. “Sometimes, multiple records also appear because the precinct finder includes even your inactive voter records.”

He added that the COMELEC receives at least 10 emails per day from voters inquiring about their polling precincts.

The COMELEC encourages voters to use the precinct finder, but also advises them to visit local offices if they encounter issues.

Another voter, Ricky Nuñez Putot, has yet to find his precinct and is considering looking up where he last voted in Barangay Irisan.

“I haven’t tried it yet, but last year it worked fine. It only took a moment,” he shared.

Meanwhile, the COMELEC addressed concerns regarding campaign materials from some candidates that include information about voters’ precincts.

“These candidates requested access to the voters’ list, so they have information regarding the voters’ locations,” Martin clarified. “In my view, it’s part of their campaign strategy, they want to make sure that the people they’re campaigning to are actual voters.”

He also noted that this does not violate the Data Privacy Act.