|
Monday, August 25, 2003
Listing fraud-free: poll body to Vidal
CEBU -- Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal called on all qualified voters to help the Commission on Elections (Comelec) eliminate flying voters in next year's polls. He also practiced what he preached.
Cardinal Vidal was among the hundreds who went to the Cebu City Comelec office Sunday for the resumption of the general registration and validation of voters' records.
Top Comelec officials walked the cardinal through the registration, using a new data-capturing machine.
Vidal, who is assigned to precinct 14-A of Barangay Cogon-Ramos, twice failed to vote--during the 2001 congressional elections and the barangay elections in July last year.
Comelec records show that the last time he cast his vote was during the presidential elections in 1998.
The cardinal has explained, though, that he failed to vote because he was attending meetings in Rome during the last two elections.
Earlier Sunday, the Palace telephoned the election officers that the cardinal will be validating his voter's registration record.
But since Vidal twice failed to vote, his record was already removed from the list.
When the cardinal arrived at 1 p.m. at the Cebu City Comelec office for the north district, he was ushered into the office of Election Officer Simaco Labata, which was designated as a VIP room, instead of the table assigned for the voters of Cogon-Ramos.
Like a voter
Comelec 7 Director Salud Aliganga and Comelec 7 legal officer Marshall Rubia and Labata assisted Vidal.
He was advised to apply for a re-activation of his registration.
Rubia encoded in the computer the data that Vidal wrote in the form. The prints of his thumb and index finger in both hands were taken, then he was asked to sign in a tablet.
After that, Vidal's picture was taken.
Comelec officials then let the cardinal view the computer, which captured all the information sought from him.
Fr. Dennis Villarojo, who came with the cardinal, underwent the same procedure because he also twice failed to vote.
In an interview with reporters, Vidal said he was glad to see a lot of people coming to the Comelec office for the registration.
Aliganga explained to the cardinal that the computerized registration will eliminate "flying voters" or double registrants.
In the elections that he was able to participate in, the cardinal said, he visited the polling center even before it opened at 8 a.m.
"Let us try to follow the instructions for the common good. Let us try to abide with all the requirements so that we will have a clean election," Vidal said.
More order
He hopes there will be more time for the registration so the public and the Comelec officials will not get impatient.
The cardinal was correct in his observations.
Early Sunday, the local election officials sought police assistance when the registrants who wanted to enter the Comelec office became unruly.
Three Kaohsiung buses of City Hall ferried the registrants from Barangays Guadalupe, Mambaling and Bulacao.
Police cars 236 and 234 of the Mobile Patrol Group responded.
The policemen helped maintain order by asking the people to stay outside and calling them one by one, so overcrowding inside the office was avoided.
Aliganga said personnel of the Cebu City Comelec office can hardly cope with the number of people who come everyday, so they decided to help.
Comelec 7 officials help sign the forms to speed up processing. JGS
(August 25, 2003 issue)
Want Sun.Star news on your mobile phone? Click here.
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
|
|
 |
| click
to comment on this article or discuss it with other readers |
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
