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Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Namfrel still hopes for Comelec accreditation
By Marie Neri
THE National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) is not giving up on getting an accreditation from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct an unofficial quick count in the 2004 elections.
This, as the Comelec holds another public hearing Tuesday on Namfrel's petition for accreditation.
"Yes, we are hopeful especially that the Comelec and Namfrel must work to separately provide measures to enhance the credibility of the 2004 elections," said Telibert Laoc, executive director of Namfrel.
Guillermo Luz, Namfrel secretary-general, said the Comelec would still need Namfrel to do a quick count since only 15 selected provinces will be automated while the rest will be manual counting.
"As you already know, Namfrel's accreditation still does not cover this important provision. Without it, we cannot obtain a copy of the election returns from the election precincts. Without the election returns, the media and the public will have no means of independent verification of the results of the elections," Luz said.
While recognizing that there is truth to claims of the Comelec that they would be more faster than Namfrel with regard canvassing the results of the elections, Luz said their assistance would still be needed because they will have an automated counting in areas where the Comelec will not assign automated counting machines (ACMs).
"The Quick Count or Vote Count is of course more than just a matter of speed. It also concerns accuracy and verification of data. Finally, accreditation also makes Namfrel a repository of key documents, which even politicians run to in case of electoral dispute," Luz added.
Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. earlier ruled that the commission no longer needs Namfrel to do a vote count since it would only sow confusion in the counting process.
He said although Namfrel can still be allowed to do a quick count, the electoral watchdog cannot post the results.
(November 11, 2003 issue)
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