No use reasoning

“Attempting to debate with a person who has abandoned reason is like giving medicine to the dead.”  This famous quote from English essayist and philosopher Thomas Paine could very well describe the attitude of those who continue to disparage the success of the 2010 presidential elections by discrediting the Automated Election System used in 2010 which, most everyone agrees, can put dagdag-bawas operators out of business. 

These people who have been identified with losing bidders were peddling a hybrid technology for use in the 2010 elections. But this was rejected by the Comelec because the hybrid technology does not comply with many provisions of the poll automation law. For one, their rejected system proposes manual voting and counting at the precinct level, after which the manually recorded Election returns will be physically delivered to the Board of Canvassers and the numbers encoded by several people into a semi-automated canvassing system. In short, this is a throwback to the old mano-mano system that was very susceptible to massive fraud and manipulation.

Apparently, these people – who love to project themselves as concerned society and civic leaders – still cannot get over the fact that they lost to a much better and auditable type of technology, the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS), so they keep criticizing the conduct and the results of the 2010 presidential elections despite widespread acceptance by Filipinos and numerous accolades from international observers who recognize the successful conduct of the 2010 polls.  Now that the Comelec Advisory Council (CAC) has finally recommended the Optical Mark Reader technology with the PCOS configuration, they are back to demolition mode, carping about supposed “problems” during the 2010 elections. Perhaps these people don’t realize that their criticisms imply that President Noy’s win may have been tainted – like what they tried to do when they accused Comelec of conniving with the US government to manipulate the 2010 election results.

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes should stop listening to these people who keep insisting that the mongrel election system they are proposing is less expensive than buying the PCOS machines used in 2010.  There’s every possibility that in the end, it would be more costly for Filipinos if we revert to a semi-automated election system that makes the electoral process very vulnerable and susceptible to fraud and manipulation, like what happened in the past. 

Besides, one only has to do simple math. Congress has approved a P7 billion budget for Comelec to conduct the 2013 polls. If the poll body exercises its option to purchase the Smartmatic PCOS machines, it will only cost P1.8 billion, because it already invested almost P4 billion in 2010.  Now it will be able to complete the purchase of the PCOS machines for only P20,000 – less than the price of one smartphone or a netbook. On the other hand, leasing brand new machines employing the same technology used during the 2010 elections will cost at least P6 billion – which leaves the Comelec with only P1 billion to cover operational expenses for a nationwide poll. Bidding for new machines takes a considerable amount of time, and if you factor in the lengthy planning and preparation needed on a nationwide scale – Comelec might find itself cramming and doing last minute arrangements for the 2013 elections which by the way is practically just around the corner. 

The CAC has already given its recommendation, and it is now incumbent upon Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes to stop listening to the carping of these embittered losers and take the smart option. It’s no use debating or reasoning with these people who insist on being contrarian because they are bent on closing their minds even if the truth stares them in the face. In short, they are already “brain dead” to rationality and reason.

It’s about time for the country to move on, and that will only happen if we push through with full poll automation – and build on the positive momentum the country gained with the successful conduct of the 2010 presidential elections.

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