Joecon accepts Tancangco dare

National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections chairman Jose Concepcion Jr. took up the dare of a Commission on Elections official for a public debate on the transparency of the contract for the modernization of the electoral system.

"I accept her challenge," Concepcion told The STAR, referring to the contract for the Voter’s Registration and Identification System (VRIS) awarded to Photokina which was brokered by Commissioner Luzviminda Tancangco as former head of the modernization committee.

However, two of Tancangco’s colleagues in the poll body "refused to dignify her posturing."

Commissioner Resurreccion Borra said Tancangco’s challenge is "interesting" but that Chairman Alfredo Benipayo told him before he left for abroad to simply ignore the commissioner.

"Chairman Benipayo told me before he left for (Stockholm), Sweden that he doesn’t want to dignify or glorify the posturing of Commissioner Tancangco on the modernization issue," Borra said.

The Photokina contract for the VRIS and other components of the modernization program of the poll body have remained stalled because of alleged irregularities. It should have been set in place in time for the May 2001 elections.

Tancangco the other day challenged her critics, among them Borra, Benipayo and Concepcion, to a debate on the Photokina contract.

As Concepcion accepted Tancangco’s challenge, he also urged the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee and the House of Representatives to conduct an investigation into the claims of former Comelec Chairwoman Harriet Demetriou in her letter to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and former Speaker Manuel Villar about the alleged irregularities in the contract.

He said this would pave the way for the filing of appropriate charges against Tancangco.

"The law requires her to have the machines for counting and canvassing but until now the Comelec is still counting votes in areas where they haven’t finished the counting," Concepcion said.

He blamed Tancangco for the failure of her committee to work for the acquisition of counting machines for the national and local elections count.

"Over 97 people died but a substantial number of them would not have died if the elections in a way drastically eliminated cheating especially in the counting and canvassing," he said.

The citizen’s arm chairman, one of the critics of Tancangco’s modernization committee, also challenged Photokina to produce the contract containing the entire P6.5 billion project cost of VRIS.

The Comelec had only P1.2 billion available and the draft contract with Photokina was nullified by Demetriou because it incorporated an additional P700 million that was beyond the financial capability of the poll body.

Meanwhile, Borra said the advisory council, technical and ad hoc committee, Senate and House oversight committee and Comelec representatives are supposed to sit down and discuss the "ramifications" of the modernization program.

He said those concerned would delve into the legal, financial and technical matters instead of arguing in public.

"Nothing concrete will come out from a public discussion where the participants will be showing their dirty linen to the public," he said, adding a public forum would tend to sow disinformation.

He added that the transparency of the program could be seen in the process and procedures at how the Comelec arrives at a final decision.

"I don’t mean we’re hiding anything but to discuss the issue with the likes of Tancangco... we don’t want to dignify or glorify her posturing," Borra said.

According to him, Tancangco committed blunders in all her three component projects: precinct mapping, automated counting results system, and VRIS.

The Comelec spent more than P200 million for the precinct mapping and voter’s enumeration but they were left hanging.