Election Observers in town

Observers from 11 countries and seven organizations arrived yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to monitor the May 14 elections.

The poll observers came from Australia, Britain, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain and Sweden.

They were accompanied by representatives of the Asia Foundation, ACF Compact, European Commission, Friedrich Neumann, USAID Philippines, National Democratic Institute, and International Foundation for Election Systems.

Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos had earlier announced that 219 foreign observers had applied for Comelec accreditation to monitor the coming polls.

Comelec records showed that the US Embassy would deploy the biggest contingent numbering 86, all of them based in the Philippines, followed by the embassy of Japan (26); British embassy (11); Canadian embassy (10); Australian embassy (nine); Spanish embassy (eight); the Singaporean and French embassies (five each); the embassies of Sweden, Finland and Germany (three each) and the New Zealand embassy (one).

The organizations that applied for Comelec identification cards are: The Asia Foundation (24); ACF Compact (nine); International Federation for Election System (eight); National Democratic Institute and USAID Phils. (three each); Friedrich Naumann and the European Commission (one each).

Abalos said the foreign observers will only be allowed to watch the conduct of the elections but will not be allowed to enter the polling precincts.

The foreign observers will monitor the elections and make their reports as indicated in their applications which were approved earlier this year. Michael Punongbayan