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Tuesday, May 04, 2004
CV voters list arrives, deemed useless
CEBU -- A new computerized voters list that contains the voters' identification number and photo arrived at the local poll office Monday, but because of discrepancies, it cannot be used in the May 10 polls.
The list from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Manila office would have prevented "flying" voters and those who registered twice or thrice from voting in the elections come Monday.
But since the new computerized voters list (CVL) of certain poll precincts contained names of voters registered in other barangays, these could not be used, said Cebu City Election Officer for the north district Simaco Labata.
Labata said that as much as they want to correct the errors, the Comelec Cebu City offices no longer have time to do so, with five days left before the elections.
"Sayang kaayo (It's a waste) because with the photos, the new list would make it easier for the teachers to detect flying voters. We decided not to use it because it will only cause confusion and disenfranchisement of the voter," Labata said.
Comelec Cebu City will just use the voters list generated from their own records, which contains only the name and the identification number of the voter.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Treasurer's Office has yet to get its supply of official ballots and indelible ink from Comelec Manila.
The treasurer's office of local government units will serve as custodian of all supplies that will be used in the polls, including the metal seal that will be used to seal all ballot boxes.
The ballot boxes used in the 2002 barangay polls and previous elections have already been cleaned. Folders, pens and envelopes have also been delivered to the treasurer's office.
Cebu was among the areas where automated polls would have been implemented. But the Supreme Court had scrapped the computerized elections after it found irregularities in Comelec's bidding for the machines.
Now, the computerized voters list from Comelec Manila is no help.
Labata said that in the north district, some of the new voters lists contain names of voters from the south district.
Without the photos, poll watchers assigned in the precincts will just have to double-check the names of the voters and their identification cards, he added.
"We instructed them to check flying voters, fictitious voters and those who assume the name or identity of other voters because the computerized voters list that we will use will not have the photo of the voters," Labata said Monday.
At the Garwood Hotel in Fuente Osmeņa Monday, employees of Comelec offices in Central Visayas were trained how to send election results to Comelec Manila via satellite.
Employees of Comelec offices in Cebu Province will have their turn Tuesday. LCR
(May 4, 2004 issue)
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