Cheating seen without automation budget

By Thea AlbertoINQUIRER.netMANILA, Philippines --

The president of the United Opposition (UNO) warned of massive cheating in the 2010 elections if the poll automation budget is not immediately approved by the House of Representatives.

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay said a manual or even a hybrid system will only benefit candidates identified with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was accused of rigging the 2004 elections.

Retaining the manual system, or even a combination of manual and automated counting, will favor the administration candidate,” Binay said Thursday, as a proposed P11-billion supplemental budget for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) appeared to stall at the House, where it has been approved at the committee level but has yet to get the nod of the plenary.

Binay lamented that there has been "no serious effort to reform the election system" since the controversial "Hello Garci" tapes, purported wiretaps, made public in 2005, of phone conversations between Arroyo and then election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, in which they allegedly discuss cheating.

"Unless we fully automate in 2010, we will be playing with practically the same rules that led to the fraud-ridden election of Mrs. Arroyo in 2004,” Binay, who has declared plans to seek the presidency in 2010, said.Binay said cheating would be massive because Arroyo would have to keep her allies in power. And although Garcillano has retired, "his network is still intact."

“There are bigger stakes for Mrs. Arroyo in 2010. She doesn’t want to go to jail. Mrs. Arroyo and her allies are afraid that justice will finally catch up with them should a genuine opposition candidate get elected,” he said.If Congress fails to pass the supplemental budget before going on recess in March, the Comelec might not be able to implement automated vote counting.

Poll automation bill ‘urgent’—Palace

By Joel GuintoINQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang reminded lawmakers that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo certified as urgent a bill appropriating P11.3 billion to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to automate the 2010 polls.

“I think we have sent a lot of signals already. That is the strongest signal that the Palace can send on that issue,” deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said, referring to the urgent certification.

“Members of Congress are aware of the deadline set by the Comelec. They are aware of that. Everybody is working hard to reach that point,” he said.

The Palace supports the poll body’s position that eradicating cheating “will entail full automation,” he said.

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo had raised concerns that a “hybrid” election in 2010, or a combination of manual and automated systems, could pave the way for a repeat of massive cheating that allegedly occurred in the last general election in 2004.

Arroyo was an alleged beneficiary of the poll fraud, which enabled her to win a fresh six-year term over popular movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., who died in 2005.

(Comments: Hay naku! I told you so...)