The registration of voters for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan synchronized elections in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City is being hampered by the lack of data capturing computers, Provincial COMELEC Supervisor Jessie Suarez and Bacolod Registrar Mavil Majarucon said yesterday.

Suarez said a recommendation has been made to the COMELEC head office for the extension of the registration period for another three days after the last day on Sunday, but they are still waiting for a reply.

The registration period set by the COMELEC has been from July 15 to 22. Suarez said one data capturing machine can only accommodate about 400 registrants a day but the number of those trooping to a COMELEC office per day sometimes reaches up to 1,000.

All towns and cities in the province are experiencing a big turnout of registrants, he said.

He said the capturing of biometric data is only done for registrants for the barangay elections but not for those registering to vote in the SK polls.

Voters for the barangay polls must be at least at least 18

years old, while for the SK polls they must be least 15 years old but below 18 years old on or before Oct. 29, 2007, he said.

Majarucon said the COMELEC only has one functioning data capturing machine in Bacolod City and the one she requested from COMELEC Manila to replace their other unit, which has a problem with its peripherals, has a defective camera.

She said they have many applicants but her office cannot accommodate all of them because they are constrained by the output of the Data Capturing System. She said they have only one operational DCS which can accommodate between 300 to 350 applicants a day.

In fact he period for processing the applicants' biometric data has been extended from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in order to accommodate as many as possible, she said.

Bacolod should have two units of DCS to hasten the registration process, she said.

Majarucon said she has asked the election officer of La Carlota City yesterday to lend them their other camera and this is still being tested.

She said they cannot give out the application forms to the applicants ahead because it would be in violation of their procedure.

Majarucon said they encountered problems in the past when these were given out. Some do not understand that even if they have filled up application forms and submitted them to the Comelec, but if they failed to have their biometric data captured in the DCS their registration process is not complete.*CPG/CGS

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