Comelec mulls partial poll automation

With many congressmen and senators warning the Commission on Elections commissioners of violating the law in their push to have poll automation nationwide in May 2010 and with the probable delay in the automation system to be set in time for the polls, Comelec is now looking at the possibility of scaling down the scope of the planned automation of the May 2010 presidential elections.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez yesterday admitted at the Kapihan sa Sulo forum that there exists the possibility that the bidding for the computerization equipment might fail.

“We are now looking at scaling down the scope of automation.”

But Jimenez also mentioned that the Comelec may change the automation’s configuration from a precinct based count to a central-based count.

Jimenez said partial automation is possible since Republic Act 9369 “is flexible enough to accommodate various election scenarios.”

RA 9369 amends RA 8436 which authorizes the Comelec to use an automated election system in the May 11, 1998 elections and in subsequent national and local polls.

“Comelec will try to get automation done within bounds

of the law,” he said.

Members of Congress have pointed out to the Comelec that it would be in violation of the existing law should full automation be pursued, as a proviso in the law clearly states that automation should first be done in pilot areas in two provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Senators earlier stated that the Comelec should look into partial automantion and make do with manual elections in 2010, since problems have arisen with the bidding process of the Comelec as well as the probability of the law being violated if full automation is pushed by the poll body.

At the same time, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales reiterated his call for the Comelec to seriously consider the open election system proposed by former election chief Christian Monsod, with the possibility of reverting to manual elections as full automation could lead to a disastrous 2010 presidential election.

The Comelec does not have a good track record in election information campaigns. Neither has the poll body succeeded in purging the voters list of ghost voters and ineligible voters, as well as the dead.

Gonzalez said he feels sorry that all seven bidders for the poll computerization contract have been disqualified by the Comelec, which he pointed out signifies the great risks involved in full automation.

Gonzales pointed out that Comelec lacks the experience in information technology.

“We are running out of time for the preparation for full automation, but we still have adequate time for OES,” Gonzales added.

The OES retains manual voting and precinct-level counting but automates the canvass process. It is designed to keep the transparency of manual voting and precinct-level counting but at the same time addresses the problem of vote-rigging through the dagdag-bawas system (vote-padding-vote shaving) which occurs at the canvassing for national elections.

The Comelec, however, insists on automation and wants to do away with manual voting, and is now mulling to do away with the precinct count, jumping immediately to the central vote count.

The Palace yesterday said that the proposed partial or full automation of national and local elections by 2010 will be implemented by the Comelec and that the Executive Branch cannot intervene in the functions of this constitutional body.

“On the partial automation of elections, we will reiterate that as much as posisble the Palace does not want to interfere with this implementation. We respect the Comelec, a constitutional body and the law has set the budget for this poll automation. We will not interfere in this implementation,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde stated.

Gonzales noted that this scheme, half-way between manual and fully automated elections, is more fit for the present readiness not only of the Comelec but more so of the country’s electorate, particularly the elders, most of whom have not touched a computer.

The system is being pushed by a group of electoral reform advocates and computer experts led by Monsod and it is being backed by the national security chief and at least 38 Catholic bishops.

The group of Monsod points out that the full automation system the Comelec chose to adopt makes voting, counting and canvassing internal and instantaneous, thus removing the transparency of manual voting and counting. The group reminded the Comelec that most voters would trust a system more where they can actually see the counting of ballots.

The proponents of OES have also been pointing out that government can save at least P7 billion from the P11.3 billion approved supplemental budget for full automation of 2010 elections if Comelec opts to adopt the OES instead.

For the Comelec, however, the idea of a partial automation system for 2010, owing to the problems being encountered currently, scaling down means that instead of purchasing over 80,000 precinct count optical scan machines, the poll body may have to reduce the quantity of its order for such units to ensure that the supplier can produce and deliver the machines in time for next year’s elections, Jimenez said.

He also said the Comelec might change the automation’s configuration from a precinct-based to a counting center-based one to halve the number of counting machines required so the supplier could furnish them also on schedule.

Jimenez cited the options as the poll body’s decision to disqualify all seven computerization equipment bidders raised concern over whether the agency had enough time to prepare for next year’s polls and if government would speed up preparations by entering into a negotiated contract with a supplier.

Comelec’s latest revised automation implementation calendar shows the required machines must be delivered between Oct. 1 and Dec. 30 this year since they will be tested from Nov. 12, 2009 to Feb. 12, 2010.

The Comelec also scheduled the training of its technical and field personnel from Dec. 1, 2009 to Feb. 13, 2010.

The calendar also shows the Comelec will conduct mock elections on Dec. 13 this year.

Jimenez also assured that entering into a negotiated contract was not among Comelec’s priority options.

“Negotiated contracts will always have a bad reputation so the Comelec’s thinking is entering into one might negate advantages of poll automation,” he said.

If government resorts to a negotiated contract, however, Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said this must be done as transparently as possible.

“I suggest that such be conducted with full media coverage and with participation of non-government organizations,” he said during the same Kapihan forum.

Jimenez said the Comelec began looking into other possible election options “when it became apparent most of the bidders will be disqualified.”

He noted that the Comelec disqualified the bidders for lacking required documentation to show their registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission, importation authorization and he single largest contract undertaken and International Organization for Standardization certification.

“There’s no failed bidding yet since they can still file their motion for reconsideration,” he said.

He noted four of the bidders already did so.

Earlier, Jimenez said the Comelec could enter into a negotiated contract as a last resort in choosing the provider of the 80,000 automation machines.

A hearing is set to be conducted by the joint congressional oversight committee on automated election system, which is headed by Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin within the month. –Riza Recio, Daily Tribune with PNA