Senate, House approve bills allowing early elections

(Update 3 - 10:57 PM) Both houses of the Philippine Congress have taken steps toward enacting laws that would allow certain sectors and residents of certain areas to vote in advance. On Wednesday, the Philippine Senate approved Senate Bill 3570 on second reading, which, if enacted, would make members of the media, detainees, and uniformed jail personnel eligible for early elections. Under the bill, residents of certain municipalities, cities, and provinces – to be determined beforehand by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) – will also be allowed to vote in advance. Areas eligible for early elections include locations with histories of election violence or terrorism and similar incidents that would endanger the holding of free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible elections. The total number of registered votes in these same locations should not exceed 10 percent of the total number of registered voters nationwide. The Comelec, after due notice and hearing, may announce the areas covered by early elections not later than March 10, 2010 for the May 10, 2010 elections and 150 days before the regular election day in succeeding polls. Early voting will be conducted not earlier than one month but not later than 10 days before the date of the elections. Results of early voting will not be disclosed and will be canvassed together with the result of the regular voting, Senator Richard Gordon, main author of the bill, said. He added that inmates who have no final conviction can vote. The early voting bill was approved immediately after it was presented on the floor by Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws. Escudero earlier said that bill will allow Comelec to maximize its resources and to guard the votes. "Klaro na hindi kakayanin ng Comelec na mag-allocate ng sapat na resources para mabantayan ang bawat sulok ng bansa. Kailangan meron silang leeway, kapangyarihan at pagkakataon na makapag-concentrate ng resources sa ilang area," he said after the hearing on the bill Tuesday. (It remains clear that the Comelec remains unable to allocate resources to guard the whole country. It needs a leeway, authority, and opportunity to focus its resources on certain areas.) House undertakes similar move The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 6928 which, if enacted, will allow members of the media to vote within seven working days before the elections this year. "Elections shall be free and equal. The State shall ensure the exercise of the right of suffrage by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law," said the bill, also known as “An Act providing for early voting to qualified members of the media." Under the bill, the head of the media office should submit a list of media members to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) 30 days before election day. The list should include media workers unable to vote on election day due to their professional duties. A media member qualified to vote early may cast his or her ballot at the Office of the Municipal or City Election Registrar where he or she is registered during office hours within seven working days before the day of elections. The bill was approved on second reading January 19. It was authored by Makati City Rep. Teddy Locsin Jr., himself a former newspaper publisher; Negros Oriental Rep. George Arnaiz; Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo; Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson; A-Teacher Rep. Mariano Piamonte; Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez; and Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo. Palace distances itself from early election proposal Malacañang on Wednesday distanced itself from the proposals to conduct early voting in areas identified as election hotspots. "We just have to leave that decision to the Comelec, we do not want to preempt the Comelec," said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Days after the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao, the poll body proposed to conduct early voting in the province and other areas in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in order to thwart escalation of violence. In their proposal submitted to the Senate, the Comelec said they aim to hold the elections in the said areas a week or a month ahead the scheduled May 10 polls. Besides ARMM, the poll body and the Philippine National Police also included Abra, Nueva Ecija, Masbate, Sulu, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Basilan, and Samat as areas of concern. Meanwhile, Ermita expressed optimism that credible elections would take place, even as he assured the public the poll body has remedial measures in case problems arise. “While there were questions of possible dysfunctions of the automated machine, somehow there’s a general agreement that the Comelec is prepare to implement the automated election and we are confident that, as we were assured by Chairman [Jose] Melo that there are fall back measures that they’re ready to implement should there be any failure," he said. - with Aie Balagtas See, RJAB Jr./ GMANews.TV