The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday, May 1, confirmed that the 10 individuals from Rizal who applied for reactivation for the upcoming polls will not be able to vote due to local Comelec’s “lack of internet connection” among other reasons.

The aforementioned applications, according to documents, were “timely filed.”

Under Comelec’s Memorandum 220606, the other reasons for the failure to reactivate the said applications were the “failure of the applicant to submit all the documentary requirements; and failure of the applicant to appear on the scheduled online verification, either through a video call in Facebook messenger or Viber application.”

With this, the poll body ordered election officers of the Province of Rizal to inform all the said applicants to apply for reactivation when the registration of voters starts anew after Election Day, May 9.

“10 lang po sila. Hindi nakumpleto ang reactivation process (There is only 10 of them. Their reactivation process was not competed),” poll Commissioner George Erwin M. Garcia told reporters.

Garcia noted that, under Comelec Resolution No. 10715, the Offices of the Elections Officer (OEOs) must have internet connection.

The poll commissioner said most OEOs are not working under ideal situation.

“Kaya po may (That’s why there is a) pending bill strengthening the field offices,” he said.

“Madalas kapag pangit po office, walang internet connection. Although the Commission provides, may mga napuputulan din po for whatever reason or sadyang walang internet ang area (Usually when the office looks bad, it has no internet connection. Although Comelec provides, some of them get their internet connection cut off for whatever reason or sometimes there’s just no internet in the are),” Garcia added.