BY BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON Reporter

The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) on Tuesday has accused poll body officials of partisanship after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) denied its petition for accreditation as a citizens’ arm for the 2010 national elections.

In a statement that defined “partisanship as being critical of the administration,” Namfrel said the Comelec’s decision is a clear insult to its integrity and to its volunteers.

The statement further alleged that the two Comelec officials who pushed for the denial of Namfrel’s petition are partisan. However, it did not identify who these people are.

It then urged members of the poll body to set aside their preferences and unite in one goal, which is to conduct free and fair elections.

“You can deny us, but you can’t make us go away. For as long as the people seek truly free and fair elections, the light of Namfrel shall burn brightly,” the statement said.

“Why doesn’t the Comelec welcome the services of an experienced organization whose vigilance helps validate the results of the elections?” it added.

On Wednesday last week, the poll body junked the petition of Namfrel and its partner, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines - National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (CBCP-Nassa), to be accredited as a citizens’ arm.

Comelec also alleged that some officers of the organization have questionable allegiance with certain political parties.

Comelec said that former Namfrel Chairman Jose Concepcion is a staunch critic of deposed President Joseph Estrada and an ally of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino.

Being denied of accreditation as a citizens’ arm means that Namfrel will not be entitled to its own copy of the election returns normally used for a parallel count. But since the May 2010 elections will be automated, Namfrel’s intention as a citizens’ arm is to observe the random manual precinct audit.

Under the automated election systems, the poll body will allow for a random manual count in certain precincts to ensure that there will be no discrepancies on the voting results of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.

With over 500,000 volunteers—the youth, professionals, businessmen, religious, peasants, urban poor and labor—Namfrel prides itself of being the citizens’ eyes and ears in over 25 national and local elections beginning with the 1983 snap elections.

The poll body also said that it cannot anymore accredit Namfrel because it has already given its nod to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).

Both Namfrel and PPCRV were once headed by former Ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta de Villa.

De Villa, however, left Namfrel to focus her attention more to PPCRV. Reports said that there are misunderstandings between de Villa and Namfrel but both camps have denied such reports.

Namfrel said that even with Comelec accrediting PPCRV as one of its citizens’ arm, there is no cause for the commission to deny the organization of having more than one election watchdog.

“With the pervasive doubts lingering about a totally new untested system, isn’t it to the advantage of Comelec to have more than one watchdog, as it has done in the past? A watchdog that is ecumenical, broad-based and experienced in observing, monitoring and assisting in elections would help make this exercise much more credible,” the statement said.

It also said that it is only under Comelec Chairman Jose Melo that Namfrel was denied of accreditation. “Namfrel is bigger than any of the individuals that comprise it. It is bigger than the politics, excuses and officiousness of the powerful.”

It concluded that, “Come 2010 elections, the Namfrel volunteers will reunite, and together with CBCP-Nassa and other electoral watchdogs, mobilize our countrymen to vigilance once more.”

Namfrel was historically known for its role during the 1986 snap elections where more than 500,000 volunteers “offered their time, energy and even their lives, to preserve the sanctity of the ballot.”

Since 1984, Namfrel has been accredited by Comelec to conduct the Operation Quick Count, which, every election, was held in La Salle Greenhills in San Juan, Metro Manila.

Namfrel is now headed by Jose Cuisa Jr., former governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from 1990 to 1993.