Comelec Cebu City | CDN File photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — How do you find your precinct number in the coming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections (BSKE) 2023?
Well, for now voters will have to visit the office of the election officer to find their precincts as precinct finder online is still unavailable.
The website of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was first hacked in 2016, while the precinct finder was hacked in 2019.
However, in 2022, during the national elections, it was activated again where voters could check their precinct number through the link provided by the Comelec, which was managed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
READ: DICT to activate voter precinct finder on Apr. 22
But just a few weeks before the election day for the BSKE 2023, the website remains inaccessible.
Comelec-7 Acting Director Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano said the unavailability of the website has something to do with the previous incidents.
“Daghan problem sa voters list nila na upload. Dili updated (on its reactivation in 2022). That is why it’s discontinued. Our website now is hosted by DICT,” Castillano said on Monday, October 16.
The Barangay and SK elections will be on October 30.
“Wala na gyud gibalik ang precinct finder,” this was Castillano’s response when asked if there are updates from DICT on the reactivation of the precinct finder.
While voters could not access the precinct finder online, Castillano suggested for voters to visit the office of election officer to check their precinct number.
“Just have one of their family members visit the office and ask for their precinct numbers,” Castillano said on Monday.
A total of 3, 384, 198 voters for the province of Cebu, including Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City, are expected to cast their votes on October 30.
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