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THE legal team of the Genuine Opposition on Sunday
called on the Commission on Elections to make public the so-called
secret markings on the ballot and elections returns before May 14.
In a letter addressed to
Commissioner Resurrección Borra, GO lead counsel Sixto Brillantes
Jr. said revealing the markings would ensure clean, honest and
orderly election.
“Such lack of knowledge if
repeated this coming May 2007 may entail some dire consequences on
the credibility of the electoral processes, particular in the
counting and canvassing,” Brillantes said.
The markings attest to the
authenticity of election documents and prevent being tampered and
substituted for fake ballots and election returns.
Brillantes noted that in the
past, the Comelec has never formally disclosed the incorporated
security features and secret marks placed in the ballots and ERs.
Even board of election inspectors
and board of canvassers, Brillantes added, did not know of the
security markings.
The election officials “were
therefore in no position to ascertain on election day and thereafter
whether the ballots they are distributing to voters . . . were in
indeed authentic actually fake and substituted ones,” he said.
Brillantes said that while it has
been the practice of the poll body not to disclose the secret
markings for security reasons, the opposition and other political
parties would like to know the security features for the sake of
transparency.
‘The nondisclosure practice in
the past, if adopted again, may turn out to be not conducive to the
common desire of all concerned of ensuring a clean, honest and
credible electoral exercise this coming May 14, 2007,” he said.
Brillantes said the Comelec
should call a dialogue of all interested political parties to
seriously discuss the matter.
Earlier, Brillantes discovered
that the seventh copy of the election returns bore the “for
posting” sign, which usually is placed on the second copy.
 --Francis
Earl A. Cueto
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