May 2010: Electoral Reforms is a Must

By PJTremedal

Iligan City – Electoral Reforms is a must in the coming May 2010 elections. This is one concern of the Civil Society Organization-Forum for Peace and the Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, Inc. who will host the December 9, 2009 forum to be held at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, College of Education Amphitheater.

The forum objective is to increase awareness of the people of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. To engage the people to take active role in achieving fairness and honesty in governance especially with the coming May Election 2010.

“Participants are from governmental and non-government organizations, people’s organizations, academe, sectoral groups, professional groups and media institutions as well as prospective candidates for the upcoming elections.” said Ms. Jane Bernardo, President of CSO-FP.

Meanwhile, Mr. Acmad Macatimbol who chaired the Lanao Alliance of Human Rights confirmed the attendance of Ms. Anita Sescon to talk about “Women and Politics”, Atty. Abdullah Dalidig of the Islamic Movement for Electoral Reform based in Marawi City, “Civil Societies Responses for Electoral Reforms” and Fr. Albert Mendez of the Social Action Center, Diocese of Iligan for the “Call of the Church for a Principled Politics.

The forum will also conduct workshops to design alternatives and solutions and recommendation for this coming May Election 2010, to achieved peaceful, honest, and credible elections.

This, 2010 May Election is considered the first of its kind in the nation’s history wherein the COMELEC adopts a new technology, the Full Automation of the Polls. By the use of internet, PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan System) that will transmit the results from the polling places will be used in clustered or regular precincts all over the country.

But as of press time, COMELEC is still waiting for its completion and to be distributed to the precincts on the day of the election. As of now negative views on the use of the full automation flourish from political parties, IT technocrats, and ordinary voters who has to be informed, educated and taught of how to use said technologies.

With R.A. 9369 or the Full Automation of the May 2010 Election Act needs 82,200 PCOS that will serve 80 provinces with 44,009,069 registered voters (as of the latest ERB Hearing) with a cost of 11,301,790 million pesos.

The PCOS will replace the OMR that was used first in The ARMM election last year 2008. Accordingly with these machines, votes counting time will decrease and results will be immediately seen in the provincial canvass area where big screen will be installed.

COMELEC said that it is the voter will feed into the PCOS, while the BEI’s (Board of Election Inspectors) are only present to check on the voter’s identification. Ballots are numbered and with bar codes that will correspond with the PCOS installed in the precincts, meaning no other ballots will be accepted by these machines.

PHILIP JAMES MONGAYA TREMEDAL
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