2010 COMELEC CITIZEN’S ARM, CHEATED?

Shortcutting the legal process is plain and simple cheating. This should not be taken out as a matter of desperate surgical steps in order for the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to look “all buckled-up” and ready for the forthcoming elections especially when it involves the accrediting of poll watchdogs that would replace NAMFREL or the National Movement for Free Elections. The 21-days given to the newly-installed election watchdog- Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) was barely enough to give the public a glimpse on just how dependable and equip they are as the election takes off. That is, as the 2010 projects the first ever computerized election in the country.

The nippy selection of COMELEC with regard to the replacement of NAMFREL is not the only thing that made PPCRV’s intents nonetheless dubious. The timing of PPCRV’s so-called application for the watchdog position is something that cannot be discounted as a major plot for a looming sham. Its application last October 5 was more or less part of the “alarming” pretense. That is, as PPCRV officials manage to side wink public interest opposite their direction. They have rather exploited the Ondoy cataclysm to out win their “pre-occupied” oppositors. The banging headlines on rescue and retrieval operations not to include the country at mourning made it easier of PPCRV to “cheat” their way on COMELEC’s mandate.

After October 5th, PPCRV was directed to publicize its filed petition simultaneously on major newspapers in the country. This is done to make their application official with the public knowing about it. Thus, opposing views to include disparate parties could argue with said petition that may lead to further hearings. But who in their right mind would be interested on PPCRV at a time of disaster? Else, how many was able to read the publication of their appeal? Camouflaging behind state perplexity such as Ondoy had been a “trick” PPCRV had used. What else would they have underneath their sleeves?

Other than the “quick count” on PPCRV’s accreditation, one of its Board of Directors- Johnny O.R. Cardinas happens to be the incumbent president of the Kapatiran sa Pangkalahatang Kabutihan (KPK), an interfaith movement that formed the Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) that serves as official political party of 2010 presidentiable Eddie Villanueva. Obviously, PPCRV is already somebody’s guard dog.

COMELEC seemingly pushed us to trust PPCRV by riding on the said group’s “trick and treats”. PPCRV is given the “duty” to safeguard our ballots. But whose duties will it be to protect us against PPCRV; the group that downright conned the system and is apparently swarmed with presidentiables’ wingman?

PPCRV AN ELECTION COOK-UP?

Election watchdog NAMFREL or National Movement for Free Elections had not likely handed the 2010 election stewardship to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) on rightful terms. It was rather a cooked-up plot inside the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) after pronouncing the PPCRV’s accreditation in nearly 21-days. PPCRV represented by Ambassador Henrietta T. De Villa and Counsels- Attys. Howard M. Calleja and Rosalie Lapuz filed their petition before the COMELEC October 05 of last year. A week after (October 14), PPCRV’s petition was shortly discussed on a COMELEC hearing and was dubiously granted twelve days later on the 26th of October of same year. It was a decision reached after COMELEC found the lack of “oppositors” or else an opposing party that would relatively question the validity of PPCRV; could be publicly acceptable but still why is there a need for the shortcut of the process?

PPCRV clearly filed its petition on the height of a state catastrophe when issues like “election watchdog accreditation” did not sound interesting, else important. Who in their right mind would have thought of 2010 elections barely a week after Ondoy took a good hit on Metro Manila? Even the country’s papers and radio stations paid no attention on such an issue, why would the frantic public think otherwise. This was the long days of rescue and retrieval operations where huge part of Marikina and Pasig is still plummeting on deep murky flood. It is downright obvious that the mere two weeks for PPCRV’s accreditation campaigns did not reach a good length of keeping the public aware that they “exist”. Now, why or who would muster the thought to throw an argument against it over COMELEC?

So what will one get over speeding-up PPCRV’s accreditation? Else, how significant will PPCRV be in the coming elections? And just why someone go through the trouble of making sure that it will get its “YESES” in COMELEC?

Accredited election watchdogs, which had been the role of NAMFREL for the past thirty-one years since 1983, serve as elections’ neutral and else monitoring group. These groups have their own set of poll watchers on various precincts, including the conduct of voters’ assistance and information on values education on city outskirts. PPCRV upon getting COMELEC’s accreditation is mandated to independently supervise the elections. They are to maintain neutrality and impartiality during the entire course of the voting period down to the poll counting and the pronouncement of winners. On such process, they give the public updates on the partial casting of ballots or the renowned NAMFREL quick count. The public, so to speak, rely on this election watchdogs to counter-check the election results. Most of the time, they had been favored highly reliable in terms of ballot counting.

Try to imagine PPCRV putting-up his trick or two during the elections. What if their quick counts were made “literally quick”? PPCRV manage to “cheat” their way in for the accreditation. How dependable will PPCRV be in terms of releasing election results that are as important as the presidency when they have cheated their way in COMELEC?