Audit of party-list votes in ARMM sought

A militant party-list group on Thursday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct a manual audit of the votes for the party-list race in provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) due to supposed problems with the transmission of the results. In a five-page petition, Bayan Muna said the Comelec — sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) — should conduct a manual audit of the party-list votes in Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao. The group said delayed transmission would allow losing party-list groups to commit fraud and increase their votes. "In fact [we are] witness to many election returns in these areas where there are more party-list votes than total number of registered voters," it said. To prevent this, he said the Comelec should immediately conduct a manual audit of all party-list votes cast in ARMM precincts. It likewise asked the poll body to transfer the canvassing of the votes for ARMM to the hands of special panel created by the NBOC. "This manual audit will also serve as an in-depth study by the Honorable Commission as well as a check-and-balance measure to the canvassing done by the NBOC," he said. The Comelec, as NBOC, will consolidate the votes and declare the winners for the senatorial and party-list contests. On the other hand, the Congress will declare the winners for the presidential and vice presidential races. As of early Wednesday, the Comelec said that only four percent of the election returns have yet to be transmitted. On the other hand, 14.49 percent of the certificates of canvass have already been received by the Comelec as of late Wednesday. On election day, several Comelec field personnel recommended that failure of elections be declared for 11 municipalities in the Visayas and Mindanao for various reasons, including open hostiles and the non-appearance of Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) there. Included in these towns are Masiu, Lumba-Bayabao, Lumba-Unayan, Tubaran, Marogong, Bayang, and Sultan Dumalondong in Lanao del Sur; Albarca and Sumisip in Basilan; Guimbal in Iloilo; and Pagsanjan in Samar. The Comelec has yet to decide on the matter. - KBK, GMANews.TV