Namfrel, Church group join forces for quick count

The National Movement for Free Elections and the Church-based National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (NASSA) agreed to work together for the conduct of a quick count for the May 14 elections.

Namfrel chairman Edwin Go said their group has signed an agreement with the NASSA, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), to work together for the quick count, taking into consideration the two groups’ manpower resources, which will be vital to monitoring the elections.

"There are regions in the country where (one of us) has better presence," Go said. "There are also areas where we jointly manage. We want to use the best of both organizations. We want to cover (all the gaps)."

Under the agreement, the two groups will conduct the quick count using the accreditation granted by the Commission on Elections to Namfrel, which traditionally conducts a quick count of the elections.

Namfrel secretary-general Eric Alvia said they need as many volunteers as possible to cover the nation’s 308,000 polling precincts and transmit the election returns to the main tabulating center.

"The volunteers will also cover all bases in cases of location constraints," Alvia said.

Go said the different Namfrel chapters are set to hold a national assembly to "brief" members "on the quick count process and the systems being used."

He said the Philippine National Police (PNP) will be present to provide their commitment to secure quick count volunteers during the May polls.

Go took over the Namfrel reins from industrialist Jose Concepcion on April 13, after the Comelec aired concerns over a possible conflict of interest in Concepcion’s status as a barangay chairman in Makati City’s posh Forbes Park, which the Comelec said may have an impact on Namfrel, which is supposed to be non-partisan. – James Mananghaya