Comelec urged to allow Namfrel count

"Nationalism means love of country, and at this time, there is no greater love for country than to ensure that our elections are clean, honest and truly reflective of the will of the people," said National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) national chairman Jose Concepcion Jr. Concepcion made the statement as he called upon the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to accredit Namfrel as its citizen’s arm to conduct a parallel vote count and other related duties for the May 10, 2004 elections.

Concepcion spoke recently at Malacañang on behalf of the five awardees of the Benigno Aquino Jr. Award for Nationalism. The award, which is being given for the first time, is a project of the Federation of Catholic Schools’ Alumni Associations (FeCaSAA) and the Commission on Higher Education.

Concepcion was selected as an outstanding alumnus of De La Salle University. The other awardees are Cecilia Alvarez of St. Paul College and Teresita Baltazar of Assumption College for the Alumni/Alumnae Sector, and St. Anthony Tiu of De La Salle University and Rommel Rico of San Beda College for the Student sector.

The Benigno Aquino Jr. Award for Nationalism is given to outstanding alumni/ae and graduating students of FeCaSAA member-schools who best exemplify the nationalist spirit of Ninoy Aquino and promote the ideals of service and volunteerism among the youth and the Filipino people.

FeCaSAA was founded on Jan. 23 this year to promote and restore key moral values.

Concepcion cited the crisis of confidence among developing countries and new democracies in their election bodies, and only a parallel count led by non-partisan, respected leaders would be the people’s guarantee that their voice is heard.

If Namfrel were to be accredited, Concepcion said, "together with Comelec, and millions of Filipinos, we will work to make this election clean, honest, orderly, and peaceful – an election that is truly reflective of the people’s will."

He cited the recent elections in Georgia, where President Shevardnadze was forced to step down because the people felt that the results of the election did not reflect their will. Likewise, in Bulgaria, Africa, and in several Latin American countries, thousands of lives were lost in the process of seeking to reflect the will of the people.