By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 10:49:00 06/25/2010
MANILA, Philippines—The National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has raised the possibility of inaccurate results in the local election races last May 10, citing initial reports from a random manual audit study that showed discrepancies between the machine and manual count.
Namfrel Chair Jose Cuisia Jr. said the Commission on Elections should immediately release the results of the random manual audit of the votes to assure the public that the polls were accurate.
“While we have assurance that the national election vote is quite accurate, we cannot say the same for the local elections because the random manual audit results, which are designed to test the accuracy of the automated count, have yet to be released,” he said at a recent Namfrel meeting.
He said that it has been more than a month since the random manual audit started on May 10 but the results have yet to be disclosed.
“How well [was this audit] conducted, why has it taken so long, and where are the results?” Cuisia asked.
He said the Namfrel has received reports that there was a 3-digit difference in the election results from at least two areas.
The Comelec should disclose the results of the audit to quash apprehensions that the voting machines had inaccurately read the votes in the local races, Cuisia said.
Namfrel was one of several groups that asked the Comelec to hold a parallel manual count of selected national and local groups to determine the accuracy of the machine results. The Comelec denied the request, saying it was not feasible.
A few days after the elections, however, Namfrel said the new automated election system “worked better than most people’s expectations.”
The Comelec chose to carry out a random manual audit of 1,145 clustered precincts. In the random audit, teachers manually count the votes for president, vice president, congressman, governor and mayor. Their count is then compared with the count of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.
lumang tugtugin na sad ….kani ba ato nasod duah ra ka klase ang politiko ang gedaya ug ang nandaya lang…kkg mapilde gedaya man mao ang sulti pag daog ingun na nandaya man…unsa mani oi…ang uban nasod nagbalikbalik nala ngadto sa outer space kita mao ra guihapon ato batasan…sanglit wa ta asenso…ang namprel nala himuon nato ani na comelec ani….watchdog raman ni sila in short mga iro hahaha…joke!!!dli raba ni sila ppcrv raba ang nagbantay krun electiona…hay!!!dli mani maingun pag sba ni kun walay mani involve ani pila kaha na püd hagoy kalisod aning nasura oi..
ahay mahibolong paman mo anang tawhana,sahi bay kanding,,,cgi beheheee,,,,,naa mi uyon sad dayun sa komento sa iya amo,ang NWD nasad ila ki terada..mikalma raba iya sinultihan dinhe sa bi.com kay na warningan man….nauwaw cguro sa iya ka tampalasan ug baba,,,
Barangay elections to remain manual
By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) Updated June 26, 2010 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Due to lack of funds, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has opted to shelve plans to automate the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections later this year.
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the seven-member commission unanimously agreed to adopt a manual system of voting and counting for the barangay and SK polls in October.
He said the manual system also means the Board of Election Inspectors will be counting the votes manually by using the traditional tally sheets.
According to Sarmiento, the Comelec budget of P3.2 billion for the conduct of the barangay and SK elections would be insufficient if they would adopt an automated system.
“I don’t think P3.2 billion would suffice to cover automated elections because it would require us to use thousands of automated machines for the country’s 40,000 barangays,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento added that unlike in the national elections, there is no need to transmit results of the elections, which is one of the main functions of the automated machines.
Sarmiento said the Comelec is still toying with the idea of using a different ballot for the coming electoral exercise.
“The Commission has yet to decide whether to use the traditional ballot where the voter has to write the name of the candidates or the paper ballot that would only require the voter to shade the names of their bets,” Sarmiento said.
Some of the commissioners are in favor of using the latter kind so there would be continuity, since this was adopted in the May 2010 presidential elections.
However, Sarmiento said shading would also require 80,000 ballot designs or one ballot each for the SK and barangay polls in each of the country 40,000 barangays.
“This is quite complex and the Comelec might miss names in the printing. So right now we are waiting for the report from the National Printing Office to determine if they are capable of printing 80,000 designs,” Sarmiento said.
He added that they hope to come out with the calendar of activities for the barangay and SK elections by next week.
Opinion
Justice League of the Philippines
MY FOUR CENTAVOS
By Dean Andy Bautista (The Philippine Star) Updated June 26, 2010 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=587764&publicationSubCategoryId=64
Since anti-corruption was the main theme of the Aquino-Roxas campaign, then we should expect a lot of investigations and prosecutions in the incoming administration. Indeed, the culture of corruption is endemic in Philippine society today. From the lowly “typists” in our government offices to the mighty “signers” who are authorized to issue permits and licenses, there is, more often than not, an expectation that a below the table payment needs to be paid to facilitate the release of government documents.
Verily, corruption is not a problem peculiar to the Philippines. Yet it is quite obvious that the problem is managed better in more advanced democracies. Is it because the citizens of these countries are simply better people? Or is it because their laws are strictly implemented so much so that there is real fear in breaking them? I refuse to believe that the answer to the first question is in the affirmative. Indubitable proof is that most overseas working Filipinos are known to be law abiding residents and citizens in other countries. More important then is the answer to the second question raised.
To be sure it will take years, perhaps generations, to eradicate (or more accurately, mitigate) the problem. But we have to start somewhere in the journey and the incoming Aquino administration represents a new beginning which can take significant strides to combat this social menace.
The presumptive appointment of CHR Chair Leila de Lima as DoJ Secretary seems to be a step in the right direction. Her tenacious, no-nonsense reputation is the call of the times. But I dare say that even this wonder woman of a lawyer will not be able to do the job alone. P-Noy will not only need to set up a leadership of superhero lawyers to combat crime and corruption, but also a cadre of young idealistic legal assistants who will form some sort of like a justice league of the Philippines. And the citizenry will need to be engaged to do its part as well.
Perhaps it would be helpful to briefly explain to our readers (particularly the non-lawyers) the key players in the fight against corruption and their main functions.
By way of background, the 1987 Constitution has devoted an entire article (Article XI) on the Accountability of Public Officers. Section 1 thereof sets the right tone in proclaiming that: “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice and lead modest lives.”
At the forefront in the fight against graft and corruption is the Office of the Ombudsman. This Constitutional body is clothed with wide and far reaching authority including: 1) Investigate any act or omission of any public official that appears to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient; 2) Direct any public official to perform and expedite any act or duty required by law, or to stop, prevent and correct any abuse or impropriety in the performance of duties; 3) Direct the officer concerned to take appropriate action against a public official at fault, and recommend his removal, suspension, demotion, fine, censure or prosecution; 4) Obtain copies of contracts or transactions involving the disbursement of public funds and report any irregularity to the Commission on Audit; and 5) Request any government agency for assistance and information necessary in the discharge of its responsibilities and to examine pertinent records and documents.
Reading through this list reminds me of the memorable line in Spiderman: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
If the Ombudsman decides to file a case against an erring public official, then the same will be heard by the special anti-graft court known as the Sandiganbayan. The latter also handles all prosecutions initiated under RA 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
There is of course the Department of Justice (DoJ) which acts as the principal law agency of the government. The DoJ’s main function is the investigation and prosecution of crimes which it performs through its constituent units, primarily the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor and the various provincial and city prosecution offices. Also under the DoJ are the National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, Public Attorney’s Office, Land Registration Authority and several agencies dealing with our correctional system. An independent office yet attached to the DoJ is the Office of the Solicitor General. The OSG shall represent the Government of the Philippines, its officials, agencies and instrumentalities in any litigation, proceeding or investigation.
If the DoJ finds probable cause against an individual accused of committing a crime, then an information will be filed against that person with our regular courts.
One of the first Executive Orders of President GMA in 2001 was the creation of the Presidential Anti Graft Commission which was tasked to investigate and hear administrative complaints against erring Presidential appointees. There is obviously an overlap between the functions of this commission with that of the Ombudsman and the DOJ. But given the gravity of the problem, you could possibly raise the “more the merrier” argument (although the counter argument is the saying “too many cooks may spoil the broth”). I tried to review the decisions of the PAGC during its nine year tenure but unfortunately the portion of its website on that topic was “under construction.”
Unsaon,
gi pasagdan lang nato nga ang PCOS lang maoy mag count sa balota, nga ”INVISIBLE” ang mamahimong prosiso sa counting..
Walay SECURITY measures nga sarang kasaligan nga maka tuki gayod nga mahimong walay limbong ang maong poll automation..
Pananglitan: RESIBO KADA boto – nga mo tatak unta didto ang tanan natong gi botohang kandidato, pitsa sa pag buto, ika pilang ning botar og partial result sa maong pag botar.. (kining tanan naka sulat sa barcodes o graph or anything dat is MACHINE READABLE)
kining resibo, wala gayod sa voting niadtong May 10,
nakahinumdom ko ani kay may video nga among gi tan’aw niadtong nag siminar mi para pagka pollwatcher, ang smartmatic gihapon gi gamet didto sa US, pero nganong may resibo mn cla kada botar?
Kita wala?!
Tingali gituyo ni kay aron sayon pag limbong, comelec man jud ang mabasol kay sila maoy authorized para niini..
ila ning trabaho..
Busa, ayaw gayod ako ninyo patouha nga walay limbong, kay sa gi ingun ko na,, INVISIBLE ang counting…
Hoy nakorat!!!
ikaw ba kuratan man ka kaayo kalma lng gad. Gusto man nmo nga dli nlang nmo patingogon ang mga tawo nga ila man nang katungod nakurat man ka sa balita oi dli pna mao tingali og makuyapan ka. naa gni news kuntra sa imo amo mo buhakhak dyun ka. mura man og may pilas kaaaaa???
kani ba mga tawhana mura na jud m inyong amo aw asa pa liwat…hilom m oi sa sunod kamo panagan para makita ang katag puros m kamao pro wa moy agi…otok oi…bsin ikaw naay hubag gegege
in every aspect of our lives we always wanted to know the truth.. i just donno why there are some who doesn’t want it.. most of the biliranons wanted to have a manual recount to clear all the doubts in their minds as to who won the past election but still there are few who insists that fraud cannot be done in automated elections..
evidneces were already presented at the lower house during the probe on the committee on sufferage and rep. locsin admired our dear cong. for he has presented credible evidences.
bugo n jud kaau ang wla motoo sa evidence nga gipakita ni cong. chong.. kung dli cya bugo, he might be blind folded with a boundle of money. just like the prosecutor who illegally proclaimed the candidates dispite of the protest. sabagay kinsa mn sd dli malisang anang brand new nga furtuuner.
duna ko nadunggan nga mga huruhungihong nga ang comelec officer daw sa cabucgayan ngka nervous problem daw kay gibato sa mga taga ila tungod sa pagdapig ug usa k kandidato.. naregalohan p gani daw ug furtuner preha kng piscal.. hinaot dli cya madayunan ug kabuang kay dli cya matakas ug sakay sa pahalipay nga gihatag sa iyaha.. katulog n ug tarong madam ochondra…