Palace grateful for good remarks on automated polls

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday it was gratified by congratulations that continue to come in from the international community on the conduct of the country’s first nationwide automated elections last week.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said foreign observers came to the Philippines “as much as to learn from our (automated electoral) process as to monitor the implementation of that process.”

“We continue to be gratified by the accolades coming in from other countries. As we said, this is a feather in the cap of the Comelec (Commission on Elections) but it is also a vindication of the President’s promise to automate the elections,” Olivar told a news briefing.

France, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and China congratulated the Philippines for the successful conduct of the elections.

The European Union (EU) was the latest to extend its best wishes to the Philippines for its impressive conduct of the recent elections, believing it was credible despite numerous reported incidents of rampant vote-buying and violence.

Finland Ambassador Heikki Hannikainen said the overall result of the elections was seen as positive by the members of the EU although there were reported glitches in the use of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines and the compact flash cards.

“The elections in the Philippines are much, much better than before. We discussed it with my colleagues in the European Union and they all agree it was credible,” Hannikainen said.

He said the EU sent between 40 to 50 representatives to observe the conduct of elections in the country.

The French embassy, on the other hand, said a special recognition has to be given to the Comelec, to citizen organizations including the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) and and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) for their contributions.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Charito Planas said the relatively smooth conduct of the polls proved Mrs. Arroyo’s critics wrong.

“As the administration was bombarded with various accusations of machinations ranging from ‘no-el’ (no election), failed election resulting in a vacuum in the presidency, a civil and military junta that will secure the position for President Arroyo to many other wild imaginations, the smooth and almost trouble-free polls last Monday, despite fears of technical malfunctions, refuted all these insinuations,” Planas said.

“It is but fair to commend President Arroyo for all her quiet moves in gathering all the agencies and sectors concerned for the continuous support and belief in the constitutionally-mandated body in charge of elections, to ensure smooth, clean and orderly elections, and for keeping her word,” she said.

The Palace also commended the Comelec, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, teachers, poll watchers, volunteers, students and senior citizens who stood alert to guard the whole exercise and who added up to the safety nets of a computerized counting of votes.

Planas said the last polls resulted to many “firsts” in the history of Philippines.      – With Manny Galvez, Pia Lee-Brago