Focus on issues, Comelec tells voters

MANILA, Philippines - With the media exposure of political wannabes increasing by the day, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) advised voters to look at the issues when choosing their candidates in next year’s elections.

Although Comelec chairman Jose Melo admitted the poll body has no control over such apparent political advertisements, he pointed out the politicians have not yet openly declared their candidacies.

Melo said the Comelec has no power to control such advertisements due to flaws in the Omnibus Election Code.

“Under the law, (political ads) are prohibited when they already filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) but since they have not filed their certificates, we cannot prohibit the ads that are coming out now,” Melo said.

And even if a candidate has already filed his COC, the law states that he or she is not considered campaigning before the campaign period has begun. “That is the deficiency of the law,” Melo pointed out.

Even with the 2010 general elections still 12 months away, several politicians are already being featured in advertisements and other forms of publicity campaigns.

Among them are Senators Mar Roxas, Manny Villar, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Escudero, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando and Vice President Noli de Castro, who are all reportedly eyeing the presidency.

In preparation for the computerization of next year’s elections, the Comelec advanced the period for the filing of COC to allow time for the printing of the candidates’ names on the electronic ballots.  

The deadline is Nov. 30, 2009 but Comelec has not decided when the campaign period would start.

Melo explained the campaign period would still start three months before the scheduled elections, as in the past.

Melo said they are expecting politicians to go around the law and sell themselves to the voters through advertisements.

“That is very probable that it will happen. But the resources of Comelec are limited so we don’t want to spend our energy running after these things. That can come later. Let the people be the judge,” he said.

Melo also urged voters to give the full automation of the 2010 polls a chance, using the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) technology.

He said the PCOS, which had been recommended to the Comelec by the multi-sector Advisory Council on Poll Automation, is cost-effective and requires less human intervention.

“Human intervention is always prone to error if not kalokohan (mischief). The only human intervention there is the feeding of the ballots (in the machines) and the shading or voting itself,” he added.

Melo lamented the “unfounded” fears being raised by some sectors against the automation system could only taint the results of the coming polls.

“There may be legitimate concerns but some people have expressed suspicions to that effect. They may be preparing some scenario where they say that we should not believe in automation… It’s about time we really trust the automation system,” he added.

Melo said the Comelec is cautious in choosing the company that would supply the machines.

“If the machines of the winning bidder will not pass the tests, what happens? We’ll go back to manual because it would be too late to call another bidding,” he said.