Students back automated polls in 2007

Student leaders from various colleges and universities want next year’s midterm elections automated with the use of ballot-counting machines to speed up the process and curb cheating.

In a recent forum with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the student leaders said "election cheating will again rear its ugly head in 2007 unless we push for the automation of the polls."

"The faith of our young people in the country’s electoral system will truly vanish if the leaders of the land do not begin the process of reforms, particularly the implementation of computerized elections," said Gladdie Mallari, chairwoman of the Philippine School of Business Administration (PSBA) Student Council.

Student leaders at the forum, organized by the PSBA’s student council, blamed the "helpless and outdated mode in choosing our country’s political leaders which is causing so much political and economic anxiety."

Around 300 students at the forum unanimously "voted" for the computerization of next year’s elections.

Student leaders from Mindanao State University, Miriam College, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, San Beda College, University of the Philippines, among other schools, attended the forum.

One of the speakers at the forum, James Martin Lim, Liga ng mga Barangay national president, encouraged the students to speak up and express their desire for free, clean and honest elections through automated polls.

Comelec Commissioner Resurreccion Borra, who was also at the forum, assured the students that the commission will do all it can to modernize the country’s antiquated electoral system.

"I am happy to hear our young people speak of issues larger than their immediate concerns. I assure you we are determined to hurdle the challenges that face us in implementing the much-needed and long overdue electoral reforms, at least beginning with the automated counting of votes," he told them.

In 2003, the Comelec purchased nearly 200 ballot-counting machines from Mega Pacific eSolutions at the cost of P1.2 billion in line with government efforts to modernize the electoral system.

But the Supreme Court in January 2004 nullified the Comelec’s purchase contract with Mega Pacific, citing irregularities in the contract awarding.

However, the court ruling inadvertently derailed government plans to modernize the country’s antiquated electoral system, which is riddled with opportunities for poll fraud. It takes election officials weeks to complete the counting of votes.

Student leaders said the Supreme Court should allow the Comelec to use the machines to ensure clean elections next year.

Mindanao State University Student Council president Fahad Calie said "nothing in the book of ethics and logic is barring the Philippine government from making use of what it has already paid for, while it pursues its legal cases against those it perceives to have violated the law. What would totally be disastrous for the country is if our forthcoming electoral process is again challenged by serious questions of credibility, when we have available means to avoid it."

The Liga ng mga Barangay is pushing for the automation of next year’s elections.

Lim said Philippine elections "bring death and mayhem nationwide and the killings shall go on unabated unless polls are finally automated."

The Liga will petition the Supreme Court to allow the use of over 200 automated ballot-counting machines. A similar plea filed by an election lawyer was recently junked by the Supreme Court in line with its 2004 ruling.