Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 01:10:00 10/07/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Will there be a presidential election in 2010? We cannot be sure; we do not know if there will be one. Given the unexpressed but known desire of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to stay in power beyond 2010, it is not farfetched to speculate that a way may be found by the administration to cancel or postpone it or to hold an electoral exercise other than a presidential election in 2010.
And if the presidential election is held as scheduled in 2010, will it be an automated election, to keep to a minimum the possibility of cheating? Again, we cannot be sure that the 2010 presidential election, if ever it is held, will be automated. But judging from what was disclosed in the Senate last week, it seems that the automation of the 2010 election is farthest from the mind of Malacañang. A P21-billion outlay for poll automation was not included in the P1.43-trillion budget for 2009 submitted by Malacañang to Congress.
The omission could still be remedied by approving a supplemental budget for poll automation. But judging from the statement last week of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who appears to be one of the spokespersons of Ms Arroyo in the Senate, a supplemental outlay will not be passed because the poll automation project is, according to her, “too expensive.” So, even if a presidential election is held as scheduled in 2010, expect it to be skewed in favor of the administration’s candidate.
Everybody, except those who have sinister plans for 2010, agrees that poll automation will do wonders for the country’s electoral tabulation and reporting system which has been stuck in the Jurassic Age for the past century. The manual system has made it possible for poll cheating to be done on a large scale in almost every election.
Tests and dry runs of automated elections have been conducted and always there have been glowing reviews and enthusiastic evaluations. Last August, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared the computerized balloting in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) an “excellent exercise.” Comelec Chair Jose Melo said he was “very happy” with the results of the automated polls and expressed the hope that the system would be used in the 2010 national elections.
Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, said the elections in the provinces of Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan were “a smashing success.” “It was something to look forward to,” Gordon said. “It shows that Filipinos can conduct clean and honest elections.” And on Sept. 15, Melo said the Comelec was focusing its efforts on computerizing the 2010 polls so that the results would be “beyond reproach.”
But now comes the damper: Santiago is saying that poll computerization is “far too expensive.” It is not as if the project is being disclosed only now: it has been in the drawing boards for the past 10-12 years, and the government should have made financial provisions for it.
The Commission on Elections Advisory Council said that the government would have to spend P31 billion if it wanted to use the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) equipment nationwide in 2010 and P11 billion if it chose to use a combination of the DRE and Optical Mark Reader machines. Ideally, the DRE should be used in 2010, but a combination of the DRE and OMR would do. The P11-billion price tag might be steep, but the machines can be used for three elections, and ultimately it would be cheaper to buy than to lease them.
Everybody, from the President to the members of Congress to the lowest ranking local officials, has come out in favor of computerizing elections. (We suspect, however, that many of them would rather stay with the present antiquated system which they can manipulate to their advantage.) Now let them put the money where their mouths are, and start the process for the computerization of the 2010 elections.
Speaking last August after the computerized elections in the ARMM, Gordon said that the experience proved that the country could hold successful automated elections “even in the most difficult circumstances, with less than three months of preparation.” Yes, it can be done. We can conduct clean and honest elections, and the results can be made known in a matter of days, if not hours. But the country’s leaders will have to take the first step now and provide funds for the automation of the 2010 elections.
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
To
subscribe to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper in the Philippines,
call +63 2 896-6000 for Metro Manila and Metro Cebu or email your subscription request here.
Factual errors? Contact the
Philippine Daily Inquirer's day desk.
Believe this article violates journalistic ethics?
Contact the
Inquirer's Reader's Advocate.
Or write The Readers' Advocate:
c/o
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Chino RocesAvenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94
![Zoom Image](javascript:popwin("http://images.inquirer.net/media/opinion/inquireropinion/editorial/images/pic-10070148580516.jpg", 640, 480))
Zoom
