We will all be hanged

It looks like the possibility of an election failure is not so farfetched after all. It’s only now that we find there are glitches surfacing less than a week before Election Day, like the failure of the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines to read votes cast in the local level. In a hastily called briefing, Smartmatic executives explained that the failure stems not from any defect in the machine but a simple “human” error. Originally, the names of candidates vying for national positions (president, vice president, senator) appearing on the front page of the ballot were encoded using single space format. But for some reason, some wise-ass decided to use double space format in encoding the names of local candidates at the back page of the ballot - causing the memory cards to get confused and misread votes for local positions.

Another IT expert pointed out that the listing of the names for the local level was changed by the Comelec from vertical (the format for the national level) to horizontal - which could account for the failure of the PCOS machines to read the votes for local positions. As a consequence of these “human errors,” the memory cards - all 76,000 of them - which contain specific details like names of candidates and the precinct number, will have to be replaced within three days. We can’t really blame people for getting exasperated at the belated discovery of such a critical error, with all kinds of problems and controversies appearing one by one as the election draws near. First it was wrong ink which necessitated the purchase P30 million worth of portable ultraviolet lamps to verify UV markings on ballots, followed by the overpriced ballot secrecy folder contract which, thankfully, was cancelled.

In several test polls conducted in Metro Manila, election returns from PCOS machines registered zero votes for certain candidates. But a verification via manual count showed that these candidates received a number of votes. No wonder Angelo Reyes stormed the Comelec briefing after PCOS machines failed to register votes for his son (a congressional candidate), demanding that people responsible be “hanged” for the anomaly. Although Teddy Boy Locsin tried to allay concerns by explaining that votes not counted for a certain candidate were not credited or transferred to another, the uncounted vote could still result in an erroneous count or tally.

As things stand, the Comelec and Smartmatic are scrambling to make adjustments to correct all these errors before May 10 - which is just four days away. How on earth they will manage to retrieve, reconfigure, replace and distribute the 76,000 flash cards meant for the 1,630 municipalities and 36,670 voting precincts all over the country is beyond the comprehension of many. Add to that the fact that in many far-flung places in the country, there are no reliable cellphone signals, and Comelec officials have to travel for days to bring ballots and other election paraphernalia to these places and conduct elections manually.

The last time we had a regular presidential election that to many was perceived to be credible was in 1998. The people accepted the victory of Joseph Estrada without question. The way things look, all the fears - and the warnings about the possibility of the failure of elections are now beginning to seem very plausible. Some people are seriously considering the suggestion of election lawyer Romy Macalintal to postpone the May 10 elections to a later date in order to prevent a complete failure of elections by giving Comelec and Smartmatic enough time to correct technical errors.

Macalintal says 15 days is enough for the poll body to solve these glitches, invoking Article I, Section 5 of the Omnibus Election Code that says, “When for any serious cause such as violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majeure, and other analogous causes of such a nature that the holding of a free, orderly and honest election should become impossible in any political subdivision, the Commission, motu propio... shall postpone the election therein to a date which should be reasonably close to the date of election... not later than 30 days after the cessation of the cause for such postponement or suspension of the election or failure to elect.”

Elections have traditionally been positive for the economy of a country, because a new leadership brings new hope, a fresh perspective and upbeat expectations. Compared to other European countries that have been given the derisive term “PIGS” like Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Greece (whose economy is now being described as going on a tailspin) the Philippines is relatively more fortunate because growth projections are relatively getting better.

But a lot of businessmen are walking on needles because of uncertainties surrounding the May 10 elections, with investors closely watching how things will go in the next few days. The Philippine stock exchange market took a plunge yesterday as prices started to spiral downward due to poll uncertainties - an indication of why the Comelec must quickly move to remedy these glitches and assuage fears regarding the possibility of an election failure.

We can blame human error, we can blame Smartmatic for machine malfunctions, but any failure of election will ultimately reflect as a failure on the part of government. And when this happens, Noynoy Aquino does not have to call for people power - because this will just come naturally from an outraged citizenry. While the Comelec can decide to postpone the elections, it definitely cannot not hold the elections because this is something that is critical not only to the political but even the economic future of this country. A lot hangs on the coming elections - if it does not happen - then we might as well all be hanged.

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