Comelec bucks return to manual polls

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and electoral watchdog Democracy Watch oppose a return to manual polls in 2016.

Speaking at a forum, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said renewed calls for a return to manual elections would only revive the hardships and sufferings of the public and election workers.

“We are doing this for the benefit of the electorate. It’s the electorate that will benefit from this (automated system),” he said.

“It’s the election workers who benefit from this. It’s the nation that benefits from this… Unfortunately, it makes life a little harder for politicians.”

Jimenez said election workers, particularly teachers serving as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs), endure fatigue and difficulty in deciphering handwriting, as well as threats and pressures under the manual system of elections.

“Is it possible for a law to be passed to amend Republic Act 9369?” he asked. “Absolutely. But that is their (lawmakers) problem, not ours. If you want to amend that law, then that’s fine… We are not part of the legislative process.” 

Jimenez said the Comelec is not preventing people from campaigning for a return to the manual system.

If lawmakers would push a manual system of counting, they should do it as soon as possible so the poll body would have enough time to make the necessary adjustment, he added.

Democracy Watch said the reported glitches in the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines and the questions on credibility of the Automatic Election System (AES) are not enough to justify the proposed “regression” that would only benefit election operators and cheaters.

Speaking to reporters, Tim Abejo, Democracy Watch convenor, said manual elections must be forgotten as it has been proven to be prone to fraud.

“Our experience in 2013 was successful in re-instilling integrity in the election process,” he said. “The results were reliable, efficient and swift.” 

Abejo said a regression is not the solution to the questioned credibility of the results in the actual counting of votes as the canvassing process takes place electronically and is invisible to the naked eye.

“The right thing to do is to improve the implementation of the AES by providing further safeguards in the process,” he said.

Democracy Watch said Comelec must instead improve the AES, including a more stringent source code review, expanded random manual audits and upgrading of poll infrastructure and training of employees.

“Investing in a new system would cause taxpayers billions of pesos, which is better spent in the procurement of additional machines to anticipate higher turnouts and avoid congestion,” he said.

Abejo said the existing PCOS technology in Comelec’s inventory is the same one used in the US, Brazil, Venezuela, Belgium and India.

“More importantly, records show that hardware failure and replacement rate in the 2010 elections was only at 0.6 percent; and in the succeeding 2013 elections, it was even lower at approximately 0.5 percent,” he said. “Verily, the reported incidents are mainly due to issues not associated directly with the PCOS machines, but problems with the voter’s lists, issues with the Board of Election Inspectors, among others.” 

A legal framework also needs to be put in place in case the manual audit reveals unacceptable discrepancies, Abejo said.

Democracy Watch advocates strategic policy reforms and citizen-led initiatives, including honest and fair elections, all towards building a transparent and accountable democracy. – Evelyn Macairan, Edu Punay