Pinoys in Singapore enthusiastic over Internet voting - Comelec

Registered Filipino voters in Singapore enthusiastically received the pilot testing of Internet voting, Commission on Elections commissioner Florentino Tuason said on Friday. Tuason, who is in Singapore to supervise the launching of Internet voting, said in a telephone conference with Manila-based reporters that just a minute after the voting period opened at 7:00 am, the system already received a vote cast. "It would seem that they are very enthusiastic in participating in this pilot test because most of them manifested they want, of course, to be relieved of the mano-mano system kind of voting," he said. He added: "Most of them are very ecstatic in participating in this pilot test not for anything else but because they want a reform in our electoral process." With Tuason in Singapore were Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos and spokesperson James Jimenez. Tuason said the 20-day voting period will end on August 8. He said the Internet voting simulated the 2007 national elections. In the pilot test, a voter would vote for his 12 senators from among 37 names of Filipino heroes and one party-list organization from the names of 15 Filipino bands. He said after the pilot test, Comelec will send an extensive and detailed report on the result of the pilot test to the Office of the President, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Overseas Voting and Advisory Council on Poll Automation for their evaluation of the modernized system of voting. "This will provide the concerned stakeholders, including the government, (the information needed) to determine whether the technology will be implemented in 2010 in overseas," he said. Abalos, for his part, believed the Internet voting would address the problem of low turnout of voters for the absentee balloting. "Hopefully, we could adopt this Internet voting (system). Hopefully, mabigyan ito ng basbas. Para sa akin (this is) the most secure, most efficient, very convenient more particularly to our overseas voters," he said. With the Internet voting, voters will only need an Internet connection to cast their votes and there would be no need to go to the embassy and consulate. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV