Now,about that Smartmatic warning

Yesterday’s main story in The Philippine STAR entitled, “The Phl seeks to copy success of US Polls” is a hope that I’m sure every Filipino dreams about. In less than 24 hours, Americans already knew that US President Barack Obama was reelected… that the Democrats still ruled the Senate while the Republicans still control the House of Representatives. No doubt, in this age of Internet or instant communication this is highly achievable.

The problem we face in this country is that our electoral system under the present Commission on Elections (Comelec) is antiquated and rotten to the core. A case in point: during the May 2010 elections, the Comelec tasked Smartmatic to do their computerized elections, using the notorious Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS). Why do I say notorious? Because on Election Day itself, two PCOS machines were found in Cagayan de Oro and in Antipolo, which were transmitting signals to the main computers. Who owned those PCOS machines and why where they in the wrong hands?

Lately, I learned that there was another PCOS machine in the hands of a private individual in Cebu City, whose name I will protect. The question is, how many more PCOS machines were in someone’s hands and for what purpose? Yet there has been no investigation as to why those PCOS machines were in the wrong hands, and all I can say is… shame on the Comelec!

If the PCOS machines could not instantly reveal who won the presidential race in 2010 until a few days later… why did the Comelec still buy this product? As of this writing, we have yet to find out who really won the vice-presidential race. Is it really Vice-Pres. Jejomar Binay, or DILC Sec. Manuel “Mar” Roxas? As we’ve already written before, if the PCOS machines were so good…we’d already know who is our real vice-president.

Suddenly, no less than Smartmatic president Cesar Flores came out with a warning against a massive failure of elections for the 2013 polls because the National Printing Office (NPO) and the Comelec ordered a rebidding of the contract for ballot printing. I don’t want to discuss this yet, but there’s something bigger that is happening here that we should know and if you ask me, it warrants a Senate investigation… if they can still do so.

So if Smartmatic can’t guarantee us a clean and honest election, then why is the Comelec still using them? It is for this very reason why many of us can no longer trust the Comelec more so that it is headed by Chairman Sixto Brillantes, the former lawyer of the Liberal Party (LP). Like it or not, he is going to be biased in this coming elections because he has become what we call “untouchable” and I can prove this.

A few months ago, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano accused the Comelec of overpricing when they bought expensive furniture for their Baguio Mansion House. But no less than Chairman Brillantes said, “These were not overpriced, but luxurious.” This brings us to recall what happened a few years ago when then Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her party were pilloried in the press for having eaten that luxurious dinner in New York City.

That was sometime in August 2009 where the late Press Secretary Cerge M. Remonde even confirmed that Pres. GMA did enjoy a $20,000 dinner in New York City’s posh Le Cirque Restaurant. Pres. GMA was chastised by the media for this extravagant dinner. We joined the chorus in chastising the President for having that expensive dinner.

But last August, when a Senate committee chastised the Comelec for purchasing P95,000 King sized beds and P85,000 Queen sized beds, the nation didn’t make a whimper at all! Worse, the Office of the Ombudsman, the nation’s watchdog sniffing for ugly, corrupt deals, didn’t even bother to issue any statement for or against the Comelec. Why? I can only second guess that this is because Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales would never dare embarrass the President in a corruption scandal like what the Comelec did. So we ask, where is Daang Matuwid headed?

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I was in Manila for a day to give honor and support to Marco Polo Plaza Hotel’s General Manager Hans Hauri, who was one of the nominees of the prestigious Asia CEO Awards held last Thursday night at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World, Manila. Hans Hauri was one of the seven nominees for “Expatriate Executive of the Year.”

Indeed, Hans Hauri is a unique individual who has helped not only the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel maintain its 5-Star rating, but he has also helped Cebu’s tourism organization when he accepted to be the President of the Hotel, Resorts and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) which late got him involved as director in the Tourism Congress. Kudos to you Hans! Kudos also to Dr Lilia de Lima, Director General of PEZA for her Lifetime Contributor Award. I was a great night seeing all those CEO’s, serenaded by my good Facebook friends, Isay Alvarez and Robert Seña… two great Filipino talents!

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.

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