Comelec chief warns vs repeat of ‘Hello, Garci’ scandal

MANILA, Philippines – The upcoming 2010 presidential elections may be riddled with cases of purported electoral fraud like the “Hello, Garci" scandal if the government will not push through with automated polls by that time, the head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Wednesday. Radio dzBB’s Teresa Tavares quoted Comelec chair Jose Melo as saying that it will be hard for them to monitor whether election returns are being tampered if the forthcoming elections will be conducted manually. The "Hello, Garci" controversy refers to the alleged wiretapped conversations between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano wherein the rigging of the May 2004 polls were supposedly discussed. Both President Arroyo and Garcillano denied any hand in rigging the 2004 elections. Melo had earlier urged Congress to pass the bill granting the P11.3 billion supplemental budget for the poll automation. Melo said the budget must be released by April this year if the country wants to push through with using the automated system in the May 2010 elections. Melo said that unless they are certain of the availability of funds, they cannot start the bidding for voting machines and the subsequent publishing of its terms of reference, which he said is very detailed. Last Monday, Speaker Prospero Nograles said the House of Representatives is inclined to approve House Bill 5715, but the Comelec must first meet certain conditions before it can use the allocation. Nograles said "an overwhelming majority" of House members have agreed to approve on second reading the supplemental budget during plenary, but said the poll body must first explain to Congress the automation procedures, the character of bidding, and the reliability of voting machines before it uses the allotment. - GMANews.TV