Comelec is to blame for poll prep delays – civil society group
KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV
11/13/2009 | 04:39 AM
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is to blame for all the delays in the preparations for the automated elections in 2010, a civil society group said Thursday.
“Whatever Comelec chairman Jose Melo blames, that the Comelec has done itself," said lawyer Harry Roque, counsel for the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM).
Roque issued the statement after the poll body blamed his group for the one-month delay in the delivery of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.
The CCM was the group that filed a case with the Supreme Court (SC) asking the tribunal to void the P7.2-million poll automation contract between Smartmatic/TIM and the Comelec, which it branded as illegal. The high court ruled in favor of the Comelec.
But Roque argued that his group was not at fault for the delays, since the contract was awarded nearly two months after the intended contract-signing date due to the “wrangling" between Smartmatic and its Filipino partner TIM.
He said the scheduled signing of the contract was first set for May 21, 2009. The poll body and Smartmatic-TIM, however, only signed the contract last July 10.
“This was already a delay of one and a half months! And this one and a half months delay in the contract signing occurred even before the CCM filed its petition before the Supreme Court last July 10, 2009," he said.
The lawyer also said that despite CCM’s plea to stop the proceedings, the SC refused to issue a temporary restraining order. “Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM were never prevented from implementing the said contract," he said.
“We can only surmise that the Comelec is making the CCM the scapegoat for the constitutional commission’s lack of adequate preparation and experience in implementing the automation of the 2010 polls," said Roque.
Early this week, the CCM filed a supplemental motion telling the SC that Smartmatic will not be able to comply with its contract to fully automate the country’s election system because of their failure to provide telecommunication facilities vital during the polls.
But Smartmatic spokesperson Gene Gregorio earlier said that the Comelec and the public have nothing to worry about because they are used to handling automation processes.
Comelec Commissioner George Larrazabal also said they have already taken the necessary steps to adjust their previously set schedule. “We’re taking measures, we’re actually working overtime," he said.
He said Comelec personnel are working double time so that they will be able to cover as much ground as possible, noting that they have already checked the telecommunication signals in polling precincts in Regions 7, 8, ARMM, and some parts of Luzon.
Such signals are required for the transmission of election results to other precincts and poll offices on Election Day.
If Comelec personnel are not able to send data through the signal acquired in the area, the poll body official said Smartmatic/TIM will be the one to work it out with the telecommunications providers. - GMANews.TV
“Whatever Comelec chairman Jose Melo blames, that the Comelec has done itself," said lawyer Harry Roque, counsel for the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM).
Roque issued the statement after the poll body blamed his group for the one-month delay in the delivery of the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.
The CCM was the group that filed a case with the Supreme Court (SC) asking the tribunal to void the P7.2-million poll automation contract between Smartmatic/TIM and the Comelec, which it branded as illegal. The high court ruled in favor of the Comelec.
But Roque argued that his group was not at fault for the delays, since the contract was awarded nearly two months after the intended contract-signing date due to the “wrangling" between Smartmatic and its Filipino partner TIM.
He said the scheduled signing of the contract was first set for May 21, 2009. The poll body and Smartmatic-TIM, however, only signed the contract last July 10.
“This was already a delay of one and a half months! And this one and a half months delay in the contract signing occurred even before the CCM filed its petition before the Supreme Court last July 10, 2009," he said.
The lawyer also said that despite CCM’s plea to stop the proceedings, the SC refused to issue a temporary restraining order. “Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM were never prevented from implementing the said contract," he said.
“We can only surmise that the Comelec is making the CCM the scapegoat for the constitutional commission’s lack of adequate preparation and experience in implementing the automation of the 2010 polls," said Roque.
Early this week, the CCM filed a supplemental motion telling the SC that Smartmatic will not be able to comply with its contract to fully automate the country’s election system because of their failure to provide telecommunication facilities vital during the polls.
But Smartmatic spokesperson Gene Gregorio earlier said that the Comelec and the public have nothing to worry about because they are used to handling automation processes.
Comelec Commissioner George Larrazabal also said they have already taken the necessary steps to adjust their previously set schedule. “We’re taking measures, we’re actually working overtime," he said.
He said Comelec personnel are working double time so that they will be able to cover as much ground as possible, noting that they have already checked the telecommunication signals in polling precincts in Regions 7, 8, ARMM, and some parts of Luzon.
Such signals are required for the transmission of election results to other precincts and poll offices on Election Day.
If Comelec personnel are not able to send data through the signal acquired in the area, the poll body official said Smartmatic/TIM will be the one to work it out with the telecommunications providers. - GMANews.TV
