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Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Comelec finally allows Namfrel to do quick count
By Marie Neri
* Resolution on accreditation out Wednesday
AFTER months of negotiations, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) finally agreed Tuesday to allow the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) to perform a simultaneous vote count with the commission during the elections next year.
Namfrel executive director Telibert Laoc said the Comelec has decided to grant their petition for accreditation.
"We met with (Comelec) Chairman (Benjamin) Abalos Monday and he said he will give (the certification for accreditation) tomorrow (Wednesday)," Laoc said.
Laoc said the meeting between the Comelec chairman and leaders of Namfrel was fruitful as they reached an understanding on the conduct of separate counting of votes cast in the May 10, 2004 elections.
Under the initial agreement, the Namfrel, according to Laoc, will be allowed do its own vote count, get the 4th copy of the election returns and will be permitted to post the results of their counting but the figures must have corresponding data such as the specific province or areas where the votes came from and how many percent had been canvassed in order to avoid confusion.
Comelec earlier accredited Namfrel to conduct an information dissemination campaign but disapproved their petition to perform a vote count, which the election watchdog had been doing since 1984.
Abalos earlier said they rejected the Namfrel's petition for accreditation to do a vote count because it might cause confusion since Comelec will have its own quick count as well.
But President Arroyo, other civil society groups and the Catholic Church asked the Comelec to accredit Namfrel to do a vote count because it is capable of doing so.
(December 10, 2003 issue)
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