Bishops, lay leaders
call for transparent 2010 elections
Through
its policy study desk, the Center for People Empowerment in Governance
(CenPEG) discussed its three-month policy study on the 2010 automated
polls in a forum sponsored by the National Secretariat for Social
Action (NASSA) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) last May 11.
Attended
by representatives from several clergy and lay organizations as
well as poll watchers, governance NGOs, IT organizations, and the
media the forum, “The 2010 automated elections: Where will
this lead us to?”, was held at the computer science conference
hall, University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. It
was the second in a series of forums involving CenPEG and other
conveners which begun with the March 18 forum.
The
CenPEG policy study, “Comelec’s PCOS-OMR system rejects
public counting, hastens wholesale cheating,” was presented
by policy study director Bobby Tuazon. The flaws and inconsistencies
of the machines to be used, the incapability of the Commission on
Elections (Comelec) officials and personnel to administer the automated
election, and other issues related to the poll automation were also
discussed.
The
forum conveners agreed to convey their concerns to the Comelec,
the media, and public. In particular, they challenged the poll body
to make public the source code that will run the electronic operations
of the May 2010 elections throughout the country.
Among
those present were Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the NASSA-CBCP, former
Comelec chairman Christian Monsod, Bishop Deogracia Yniguez, Dr.
Bienvenido Lumbera (CenPEG chair), Atty. Alex Lacson of Dilaab Foundation,
Ricky Xavier of Hope Movement, Dr. Pablo Manalastas of Ateneo, Dr.
Jaime Caro of the Computing Society of the Philippines, Maricor
Akol (TransparentElections.org), Lito Averia (also of TE), and Gus
Lagman (Movement for Good Governance)..
Rosa
Castillo of CenPEG stood as the emcee.
A
joint statement was issued to the press the following day by the
conveners of the forum, asserting their call for greater transparency
in the elections and for Comelec to make every step of the election
automation open for public scrutiny to foster greater accountability
among the electorate.
Moreover,
the conveners of the forum called for different organizations and
concerned citizens to be more pro-active and vigilant every step
of the way toward the elections, including critical institutions
such as the poll body and the National Printing Office (NPO).
Everyone
present in the forum believed that the value of “secret voting,
public counting” in the exercise of democracy should be upheld,
above anything else. |
