Arroyo hopes Comelec will approve Namfrel quick count

While President Arroyo cannot overrule the Commission on Elections, she hopes the Comelec will change its mind and accredit the National Movement for Free Elections so Namfrel may continue conducting its "Operation Quick Count" in the May 2004 elections.

The President said in a interview over radio station dzMM yesterday that the Comelec and other constitutional bodies are independent and autonomous from the executive and she cannot interfere with their decisions.

The President earlier said she could only wish that poll watchdogs like Namfrel would be able to continue their volunteer services to ensure the conduct of free and honest poll exercises in the country.

"What I can say on this is I hope Namfrel will be accredited, but I cannot order (the Comelec to accredit Namfrel)," she said. "All these debates of... reported dangers (of election fraud), I think the Comelec has the authority to be the judge of that."

"My only role is to make available all the money they (Comelec) need and that is what I’ve done," the President said. "Namfrel has led the way and must continue to do so."

Namfrel has not been accredited by Comelec to conduct quick counts that have been part of the country’s electoral exercises for the past 20 years.

The Comelec cited the modernization and partial automation of the poll system as its reason for not accrediting Namfrel.

The first batch of automated counting machines (ACMs) purchased by the Comelec using the P3 billion in funds approved by the President for the upgrade arrived in August.

The President has repeatedly issued statements to assuage the public’s fears and concerns raised by political leaders of the possibility that there will be a failure of elections in 2004 if the new computerized poll system breaks down due to technical problems. — Marichu Villanueva