Brillantes to critics of auto polls: It’s payback time

MANILA, Philippines - It’s payback time.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes yesterday said he will settle a score with automated election critics who undermined the recent midterm elections.

“They made our life difficult. Now, they should watch out how I get payback,” Brillantes said.

He said that although the Comelec will no longer pursue a legal suit against the Automated Elections System (AES) Watch, he would expose the people behind the group once the poll body has proclaimed the winning party-list groups.

The AES Watch earlier issued a statement describing the 2013 polls as worse than the first nationwide automated elections in the country three years ago.

“Just like in 2010, the implementation of the second automated election cannot pass the standards of the IT (information technology) industry. How can the elections be credible when it is conducted by a most un-transparent Comelec, led by an incredibly insensitive chairman, who is prone to arbitrary decisions and abuse of authority?” the AES Watch said.

But Brillantes said the AES is not even an organization.

“It is also not registered anywhere... Just wait and I will just expose who these people are,” he said.

Brillantes said the Comelec has long been on the lookout for the “noisy” people in the AES.             

He maintained that the 2013 polls are one of the best elections the country has ever had despite the technical glitches and other minor problems.

He added that he does not want to respond to the latest criticisms of AES Watch since the group is out to discredit the whole electoral system.

“The AES came out and has been talking for the last four years about so many things. I think all this time, they have been planning to undermine the elections,” Brillantes said.

Audit of poll results sought

Meanwhile, workers yesterday demanded a full, immediate and transparent audit of election results to assure voters that the recent midterm polls were credible.

Members of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said independent studies done on the recent polls showed discrepancies in elections results.

“There is something fundamentally wrong about this year’s elections. Everything is questionable – the design, the government’s actions upholding the design and precluding transparency, and the results,” KMU chair Elmer Labog said.

Labog noted that the design of the country’s automated elections was not transparent to begin with.

He stressed that votes are sacred and should therefore be counted properly.

He said only a full, immediate and transparent audit of the elections can uphold the sanctity of the people’s votes.