Friday, October 13, 2006
Senate passes poll automation bill
By Camille P. Balagtas
THE Senate voted 13-0 in approving the election automation bill on Thursday, the last day of the Senate session.
The bill’s three principal opponents, Senators Sergio Osmeña III, Manuel “Mar” Roxas III, and Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal, failed to attend the session while Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who tried to hold off the voting on the measure went along with the majority vote.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Richard Gordon.
Under the new election automation law, a committee will be created to decide on the technology to be used to transmit the results of the voting process.
Gordon added that election returns and certificates of canvass transmitted electronically and digitally signed shall be considered as official election results and shall be used as basis for the proclamation of the candidate.
The system will be pilot-tested in six provinces and six cities – a province and a city in Luzon, a province and a city in Visayas, and a province and a city in Mindanao - in next year year’s mid-term elections in preparation for its full implementation in the 2010 elections.
“This is a great leap forward for our country. This is about making sure that every vote of every Filipino is counted, and counted properly. This is about giving the future of the Philippines back to its own people,” said Gordon.
“It has taken so long to make this finally happen. Year after year, allegations of fraud paralyze our country. It practically ensures that only the powerful and the wealthy stay in power - the ones who can cheat and buy the vote. Even the last attempt to computerize was tainted with fraud. We of the Senate have proposed a solution to end the cheating and the fraud, and to make sure that the people’s voice is truly heard,” Gordon said further.
The Senate bill was filed in 2005 and committee hearings began on Oct. 17, 2005.
A counterpart bill had been approved by the House of Representatives and the two houses of Congress are to meet in a bicameral conference to reconcile the two versions of the bill.
Aside from Estrada, those who voted for the bill were Senators Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Rodolfo Biazon, Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano, Juan Ponce Enrile, Luisa “Loi” Estrada, Juan Flavier, Alfredo Lim, Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, and Senate President Manuel Villar.
Drilon said Senator Richard Gordon's bill amending the election automation law was among the Senate's priority bills. (Sunnex)
(October 13, 2006 issue)
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