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Friday, March 12, 2004
Namfrel to Maceda: Show proof of missing ballots
A poll watchdog Thursday dared former senator Ernesto Maceda and lawyer Rufus Rodriguez to substantiate their allegations there are 2 million ballots missing.
The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) made the challenge after Maceda, senatorial bet of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), urged Namfrel and the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible
Voting (PPCRV) to examine the ongoing printing of the ballots to be used for the May 10 elections.
“All they’re doing is making accusations but they cannot produce any detailed reports. If they make accusations, they should make substantiation and these actual reports must come from Sen. Maceda,” Guillermo Luz, secretary general of Namfrel, declared.
Luz likewise demanded that Rodriguez show his calculation on how he made a conclusion there are 2 million missing ballots.
“I think we need to see Rufus Rodriguez’ calculation and how he arrived at the 2 million missing ballots,” Luz added.
According to Luz, though he was not sure how Rodriguez came up with the 2 million missing ballots, it could be possible the KNP representative used the 20 percent overruns as his basis in computing the missing ballots.
“I don’t know what Rodriguez is using for his calculation but under the law, Comelec is allowed to print 20 percent overruns for the manual counting, and for the automated counting, it’s 3 ballot forms (extra) for every precinct,”
Luz explained.
Jose Concepcion, chairman of Namfrel, in a separate interview also declared Maceda and Rodriguez should convince them about the missing ballots.
He said he received a copy of the report of National Printing Office (NPO) director Ronald Velasco which clearly indicated that there were no missing ballots but the “inadequate” supply of paper has been the reason for the incomplete printing of the forms..
“I have seen and read the report of the printing office and it is very clear there that (there are) no missing (ballots) but a shortage of paper, kaya kulang ang ballot na printed (hence the shortage in the printed ballots),” Concepcion said in a telephone interview.
Like Luz, Concepcion asked Maceda to show proof or evidence for them to determine if their allegations of 2 million missing ballots have basis.
“Ernie Maceda must stipulate the grounds, the basis and evidences kasi we cannot really establish if there were really missing ballots. Kung talagang may evidence sila, they must present it,” Concepcion added.
Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. last Tuesday morning and Rodriguez had a heated argument at the NPO office in Quezon City after the KNP representative insisted they wanted the commission to investigate the allegations there had been unaccounted ballots.
Abalos pointed out that the NPO premises are not only heavily guarded but security measures being implemented are very strict so it would be impossible for anybody to sneak out the watermarked papers without being noticed or caught. (Marie Neri)
(March 12, 2004 issue)
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