COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) once more warned poll critics to be careful in their pronouncements related to the conduct of successful elections this May.
“I am very concerned about this because we are very close to the elections. At this stage, if you say anything that undermines the confidence in the system, you are looking at huge effects in terms of the credibility of the elections,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.
This came after poll watchdog National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said the number of registered voters increased not in accordance with the average population growth.
Namfrel on Tuesday said the number of registered voters reported by Comelec increased by 12.65 percent from the 45.03 million registered in the 2007 elections to the 50.74 million registered for the May 2010 elections.
Applying the National Census and Statistics Board (NCSB) annual average population growth rate of 1.95 percent (working figure for the years 2005-2010), the reasonable increase in the growth in number of registered voters over a three-year period should be around six to eight percent, said Namfrel.
Furthermore, the region with the highest increase from 2007 to 2010 -- 42 percent -- was the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (Armm), where the "Hello Garci" controversy was centered in the 2004 elections.
But Jimenez argued that the Armm area could have the cleanest list of voters since the registration was biometrics-enabled.
"In the Armm, you have actually a high chance of spotting them because the biometrics data is complete so it would be hard to pad the list of voters in Armm," Jimenez explained.
"When you register now, you have to do biometrics...if one person registered three or four times, makikita sa system yan. It's not manual; it's automated," Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal added.
The poll body said it is open to compare its numbers with the National Statistics Office.
"If they have problems with the numbers that we are reporting, we invite them to present to Comelec their suspicions with us and we will try to figure them out," said Jimenez.
The spokesperson added that Namfrel should take into account those voters who registered that are aged above 18.
Some new registrants may have also chosen to register for the 2010 elections to personally try out the automated system.
Larrazabal, meanwhile, said the commission has already manually delisted more than 700,000 double or multiple registrants.
Back statements
Jimenez also told election critics that they should back their statements with complete facts before they actually make their pronouncements.
"I think it beholds everyone who says that they are for honest elections to be careful with their pronouncements. Any unfounded accusation as to the lack of the credibility of the elections has a disproportionately large effect on the credibility of the elections as a whole," he said.
The spokesperson furthered that the poll body has time and again openly accepted criticisms and has done its responsibility to ensure a successful and clean conduct of elections.
Nograles’s disappointment
For his part, House Speaker Prospero Nograles once again expressed disappointment over the failure of the Comelec to address poll-related problems in Davao.
Nograles, who is running for mayor of Davao City, called out on the Comelec's slow response on the murder of two Bantay party-list group campaign volunteers on Wednesday.
Failure to implement the gun ban law in Davao has also become obvious, he said.
"The police and the military should strictly enforce the election gun ban. Many local and barangay officials and the known warlords are brandishing firearms in full public view including motorcycle-riding goons in Davao region and elsewhere," Nograles said, adding that he will not hesitate to file charges against the violators.
The Speaker has been urging the Comelec to declare Davao City as one of the election hotspots.
He once again revived the call four days after the bodies of Juliana Noquera, 51, and Ronaldo Miranda, 49, were recovered on the same day.
The two are campaign volunteers of Bantay party-list headed by former Major General Jovito Palparan, a known anti-communist advocate and staunch critic of incumbent Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
"How long will the Comelec have to wait before taking action? How many more people would have to die before the Comelec will realize that there are very dangerous people in Davao City who think that they are above the law," Nograles said.
Comelec has source for alarm in Davao City as local officials as well as "motorcycle-riding goons" brandish firearms in full view in Davao City and alleged New People's Army insurgents also roam freely around the area, according to Nograles. (Kathrina Alvarez/Angela Casauay/Sunnex)