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Monday, August 11, 2008
More credible Armm polls: observers
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY (Updated 5 p.m.) -- The 2008 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) were faster and more credible.
This was the unified observation made by public officials in the region and national figures who went to the area to observe the first-ever automated election in Philippine history.
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Akbayan Representative Etta Rosales said Monday's election was not only fast but a "Garci-free" one as well.
Rosales is referring to election shaving operation allegedly perpetrated by former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano last year.
She said the first-ever automated election has achieved its three purposes:
1. Proving to Filipinos that Bangsamoro people know what democracy is and know how to exercise them;
2. Automation is the first step to peace in Mindanao;
3. It's a step towards a more credible 2010 election.
Rosales, however, said there are still some aspects in the Armm elections that need improvement.
One, she said, is for Comelec to provide free transportation for voters who live far away from their polling precincts, and second is for Comelec to clean the registered voters' list (RVL).
Underage voters
It is important for the RVL to be clean of ghost and flying voters so that future elections would be more credible and truthful, said Rosales.
She added that she saw some very young people who have obviously not yet reached the voting age casting their votes in this year's election.
Sun.Star also came across a very young voter who looked to be 14-year-old, but who said he was 21 when asked about his age.
Incumbent Armm Governor Zaldy Ampatuan meantime cast his vote at past 7 a.m. in the Shariff Ampatuan Central Elementary School. However, he refused to give any statement regarding the election.
Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong meanwhile expressed satisfaction over the turnout of voters in Shariff Aguak. He hopes the turnout of voters is the same in other areas of Armm.
Based on the information from Smartmatic, the company that operates the electronic voting machines used in the Armm elections, the voter will simply push the corresponding picture and name of the candidates he or she is voting for and it will automatically be recorded in the machine's memory.
The machine will then print out the names of candidates voted for and the voter will deposit this in the ballot box.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said even if someone snatches ballot boxes or voting machines, as reported in Basilan, this would not work if taken outside the area where it is registered.
Ballot snatching
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier declared failure of elections in two barangays in the municipalities of Sumisip in Basilan after unidentified armed men snatched the ballot boxes hours before the start of the Monday's electoral exercise.
Comelec chairman Jose Melo said 1,896 voters in barangays Tumahubong and Baiwas were not able to vote as the ballot boxes were snatched from the board of elections inspectors (BEIs) by still unidentified men.
Barangay Tumahubong has 1,566 voters in five precincts while Barangay Baiwas has 330 voters in one precinct.
Melo said they will conduct special polls for the said barangays if the number of voters will affect the election results.
Comelec officials said the results of the election are stored in the memory of the computer machines and are automatically transmitted to the Comelec center even if the machines are still in the fields.
A total of 3,300 electronic voting machines were deployed in 1,915 voting precincts all over Armm. But only six centers in six Armm provinces were created by Comelec to serve as venues of the canvassing.
The six canvassing centers are Basilan National High School in Isabela City for Basilan; Mindanao State University in Jolo for Sulu; Mindanao State University in Bongao for Tawi-tawi; Provincial Capitol Complex in Martawi City for Lanao del Sur; Cotabato City Polytechnic College in Cotabato City for Shariff Kabunsuan; and Provincial Board Hall in the provincial Capitol of Shariff Aguak for Maguindanao.
"All official election results from 1,915 voting centers in the Armm will be brought to these areas for canvassing and consolidation," Jimenez said. (BOT/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (August 11, 2008 issue)
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