Politicians told to keep hands off Comelec

MANILA, Philippines - Makati City Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday urged politicians to leave the Commission on Elections (Comelec) alone as it sorts out its problems with next year's automated polls. "The problem is exclusively the Comelec's, which is doing an excellently rigorous and utterly transparent job of it," Locsin said, referring to the recent disqualification of all seven bidders for poll automation, which raised fears that the 2010 elections may end up being done manually. Locsin, chair of the House committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, was reacting to the proposals of some of his colleagues for partial automation. The Makati City lawmaker thumbed down the idea of partial automation, saying it "merely accelerates the dishonest canvassing of the dishonest results of manual cheating." He also said politicians have no business dipping their fingers in how the poll body would solve its problems on the conduct of the 2010 elections. "Politicians have no moral standing to recommend anything on the conduct of elections because any cheating done in elections is always at the politicians' behest and with their payment," Locsin said. Locsin also said it was “sheer hypocrisy" for any member of the House to express concern over the possible failure of elections due to the bidders' disqualification, as he pointed out that several congressmen delayed the passage of the supplemental budget for poll automation with "one mindless objection after another" during floor debates. Comelec chairman Jose Melo had already dispelled fears that there was a failure of bidding, saying the disqualified bidders are entitled for an appeal. He however admitted that the disqualification might affect their timetable of preparations for next year’s polls. But for Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, the disqualification was a major setback that could derail the 2010 elections. "Setbacks and the continuous delay of the bidding process could end up with Comelec not having enough time to thoroughly conduct pilot tests for full automation, and in a worst case scenario, lead to massive election irregularities tantamount to failure of elections," he said in a statement. Palatino, one of the more than 20 congressmen sworn in two weeks ago in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling, also warned against resorting to a negotiated government contract in the case of a failure of bidding in the future. He said such would not be as transparent as a bidding process. "It is also more disconcerting to note the insofar as negotiated government contracts are concerned Malacañang’s hand almost always creeps in," he said. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV