Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Automation may not push through in 2007 elections, says legislator
SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. on Monday expressed doubt whether the May 2007 elections can be computerized, either partially or totally, despite the approval of the Automated Election System (AES) by both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Pimentel cited the admission of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos that time constraint prevents the implementation of the AES in the mid-term elections in 2007.
"Chairman Abalos is right. There is, thus, no reason to rush the automation election bill," he said.
The AES bills of the House and Senate will be up for discussion by the bicameral conference committee.
Pimentel said Abalos is only being pragmatic by coming up with that assessment. "Abalos believes that with barely seven months before the May 2007 elections, the Senate majority should consider revisiting the bill and subjecting it to a more thorough debate," Pimentel said.
Referring to the Comelec's experience regarding the computerization of the May 2004 national and local elections, Pimentel said the commission approved the contract for the acquisition of 1,991 automated counting machines (ACM)s in April 2003.
He also said although there was a year of preparations for the poll automation deal, a lot of problems had hounded the project that was awarded to MegaPacific.
At the same time, Pimentel said the bill providing for an AES will still be "rescrutinized" by the Senate when the regular session resumes on November 6.
Pimentel said as far as he knows, Senators Sergio Osmeña III, Manuel "Mar" Roxas III and Ma. Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal still have a lot of questions about the AES bill which they want the sponsor of the measure, Senator Richard Gordon, to explain and clarify.
The bill, which was approved by the Senate last week, aims to implement a partial automation of the 2007 elections to cover six pilot provinces and highly urbanized cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to be determined by the Comelec. It also provides that full and nationwide automation will be implemented in the 2010 elections. (CPB/Sunnex)
(October 17, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
