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Apparently, the Comelec has made Sen. Dick Gordon very happy. He
praised the poll body for—at last!—finally signing a
P525-million poll-automation contract with Smartmatic. This company
won the bidding to supply Comelec with the software, the equipment
and training in the use of its Direct Recording Electronic (DRE)
system. The system will be used in Maguindanao province during the
ARMM election on August 11.
With this development, Dick Gordon said, Comelec
has taken the first step toward bringing Philippine elections to the
modern era.
Remember that the senator, who is co-chairman of
the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Automated Election
Systems, had a running argument with then-Comelec chair Benjamin
Abalos.
Like most intelligent and practical people, Dick
Gordon wants computers, good software and basic tools—that
restaurant chains and global product producers use to record, tally
and total all their purchases, their expenses, their use of supplies
and raw materials, their personnel situation and customer turnout
and cash position minute by minute and hour by hour—to be used to
make our elections honest and accurate.
Unfortunately, too many Comelec officials at all
levels (there have been outstanding exceptions who often ended up
dead) have had other motivations than guaranteeing the honesty and
correctness of election results.
Sen. Gordon correctly says that with reliable
systems and “computers in the precincts, our fellow Filipinos in
the ARMM are assured that their votes will be counted and counted
fast, possibly within the hour, and their right to choose their
leaders protected.”
The Comelec is still negotiating with other
contractors for the automation of the elections in ARMM’s other
provinces: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan, Sulu, and
Tawi-Tawi.
I suppose that, after assessing each chosen
company’s performance, the Comelec would then proceed with setting
up systems in the whole country for the 2010 elections.
Prioritize good governance
I am pragmatic enough to agree that “It’s
the economy, stupid.” The economic well-being of any
nation—food, health, homes and employment for its citizens and
families—must be prioritized before anything else (including
election modernization). But I always put in important qualifiers.
First, the leaders of the government who make
the decision to prioritize the economy and carry out plans and
programs must be legitimate. They must not have obtained their
positions of leadership by force of arms or by cheating in the
elections. The latter, unfortunately, is how most Filipinos perceive
the Arroyo administration.
Second, the overwhelming majority of the
citizens must respect their leaders. This was the situation of the
American Republic’s founding presidents. And the Filipinos—Quezon,
Osmeña, Recto, Laurel—of the American colonial government were
also respected. The citizenry do not doubt the motives of the
leaders when they demand sacrifice and loyalty.
Third, the citizens must not only perceive the
leaders to be men of integrity and deep patriotism. They must really
be righteous and patriotic.
Without these three situations, “It’s the
economy, stupid” is incorrect policy. In the hands of corrupt and
incompetent officials prioritizing the economy will only sink the
country deeper into ruin.
In our situation the imperatives that drive
President Arroyo to work first of all to save herself from ouster
and humiliation, which she and her friends dealt to President
Estrada, must stop guiding the nation.
Ensuring clean and credible elections must
become one of the topmost priorities.
The Comelec under Chairman Jose Melo must give
our country, our gravely ill Republic, our moribund democracy, a new
lease on life.
House of horrors
While good election news reaches us from the
Comelec and ARMM, it is saddening to hear that former Speaker Jose
de Venecia is being made to account for the alleged failure of the
House’s electronic voting system. It was one of JdV’s last major
acts as speaker to install the e-voting system. He was so proud of
it.
Apparently, it was tested in a dry-run last
month. It allegedly failed to recognize 39 of the 50 thumbprints of
the persons (House employees) registered in the database.
JdV’s enemies are asking him to account for
the failure. They threaten to charge him with some felony or
another. This e-voting system project includes biometrics machines
and laptops for each of the 238 congressmen.
JdV must be praying that system’s alleged
failure is the product of a Palace dirty-tricks sabotage operation.
If JdV’s project to computerize HoR voting is
full of bugs, then people should not believe Joey de Venecia’s ZTE
deal exposes. Joey after all is an electronics and IT expert. That
flawed leap of logic is untenable. But that is how most minds work
in the House and in the commentating industry.
rqb@manilatimes.net
rq_bas@yahoo.com
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