Possible election problems seen in Mindanao

One of the newly appointed Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioners said preparations for the manual counting of votes in Mindanao are proceeding slowly and could be a potential problem for the May 10 polls.

Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano said, however, that this can be resolved easily and he vowed to double efforts in the insurgency-troubled region, where vote shaving and padding (dagdag-bawas) had been reported rampant.

"No, for me, Mindanao is not a problem," Garcillano said in response to questions on the electoral situation in the country’s largest island, where he had served as a Comelec consultant. "It is only the preparations that should be made."

"The problem is, we are in a situation that is very hard (-pressed for time)," he said. "I would like to make some adjustment if we could rush up things. I will ask the field personnel in Mindanao to double their effort in order for us to have this (manual counting) in place before the elections."

Garcillano, a former Northern Mindanao director of the Comelec, retired in 2002, but was recruited as a consultant by Chairman Benjamin Abalos.

The new Comelec commissioner said he has many things in mind to prepare Mindanao for the elections. He said he intends to oversee the preparation of the voters’ list in areas where multiple registrants were discovered by the Comelec.

He said he is willing to take on any task assigned to him. Abalos hinted in an earlier interview that Garcillano may be given responsibility over Mindanao.

Garcillano paid a courtesy call on Abalos before proceeding to the office of Supreme Court Justice Dante Tinga to take his oath of office. Garcillano and lawyer Manuel Barcelona Jr. were appointed by the President to replace Comelec commissioners Luzviminda Tancangco and Ralph Lantion, who retired on Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, Garcillano denied he was involved in irregularities when he was still Comelec regional director, as insinuated by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Pimentel issued a statement questioning the list of candidates for commissionership of the poll body prior to the President’s appointment of Garcillano and Barcelona.

Pimentel singled Garcillano out as "a Comelec operator in Northern Mindanao."

Garcillano described the allegations as a "long-dragging misconception" and offered to "sit down" with the senator to clear the air.

"If there are things he (Pimentel) would like to complain about we can discuss it. I already asked somebody to make the senator please sit down with me. I think he is a very reasonable man."

Garcillano said being appointed to the Comelec is a dream come true, a dream he has been pursuing for the last 15 years.

"I am happy I got (the appointment)," he said. "I hope I can live up to the expectation of the people."

Although Garcillano spent much of his career in Mindanao, he is a native of Pangasinan, the province that counts among its natives former President Fidel Ramos, actor Fernando Poe Jr. and President Arroyo’s mother, the late First Lady Eva Macapagal.

Abalos hailed Garcillano’s appointment, saying this could serve as inspiration to other Comelec personnel who may harbor dreams of being appointed to the Comelec leadership someday.

He also praised Barcelona’s appointment to the seven-man poll body, adding that "I have my highest regard for Barcelona. His skills in the law profession cannot be disregarded. He is respected in the law profession."

Lantion described Garcillano as hard-working and said the President made a good choice.

Tancangco refused to comment on Garcillano’s appointment, "I do not want to comment. If he does not turn out okay, I could be blamed for it."