Pimentel calls for Namfrel accreditation

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. urged yesterday the accreditation of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) to prevent the resurgence of large-scale dagdag-bawas (vote padding and shaving) in the May elections.

Pimentel, a victim of the scam in the 1995 senatorial race, said Namfrel’s participation as citizen arm of the Commission on Elections is "indispensable" in preventing widespread fraud in the May elections.

"I am calling on the Comelec not to delay any further the accreditation of Namfrel because it is the only organized group that can mobilize concerned citizens to watch over the elections," Pimentel stressed.

He said that with Comelec’s failure to implement computerization, the electoral process will become more vulnerable to poll manipulators without volunteer watchers from Namfrel.

Some Comelec officials, notably Commissioner Luzviminda Tancangco, are opposing the accreditation of Namfrel and its quick count because of alleged problems on accountability and accuracy as shown by past experiences.

Jose Concepcion Jr., Namfrel chairman, had attributed these problems to the refusal of many precinct chairmen to certify their copies and harassment in the coverage of a number of precincts.

Pimentel cited Namfrel’s track record in conducting quick counts. He said that advance tallies prepared by Namfrel enabled him to counter-check and detect discrepancies or falsifications of election results in the 1995 senatorial elections.

He said that his experience showed the existence of people whose expertise is to falsify and fabricate election results for a fee.

"What is shocking was that the syndicate of cheaters involved in the 1995 Operation Dagdag-Bawas included some Comelec field officials who were in cahoots with moneyed candidates," Pimentel lamented.

He said the operations usually occurred in transferring and tabulating the votes on different sets of documents through various layers of the electoral process from the polling precinct to the municipality, city and provincial levels.