EDITORIAL - A very good point by Morato

An interesting footnote to the recent, or ongoing, congressional inquiry into alleged cheating during the last election, or the country’s first automated polls, was provided by Manuel Morato, a former chairman of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Morato appeared at the inquiry to testify that prior to the May 10 elections, he was approached by people who offered, at a cost of several millions, to make his candidate win (he was supporting administration candidate Gilberto Teodoro). He said he declined the offer.

Interviewed later on television, Morato said the country could have avoided its present headaches about alleged cheating, and saved millions of pesos in the process, had authorities concerned with carrying out the automated polls accepted a proposal he made at the time.

When the authorities were still scouting around for a partner to conduct the automated elections, Morato claimed he suggested that the existing machines used by the PCSO to run its lotto games be tapped for use in the polls.

According to Morato, there were thousands of these machines already in place all over the country to serve the purpose. All that was needed was to reconfigure them so that instead of accepting betting cards, they would accept ballots.

But the most important thing Morato disclosed was that, while the PCOS machines used in the now-controversial automated polls allowed for a certain “acceptable margin of error,” the lotto machines are designed to be perfect all the time.

Morato explained that in a betting game where money is involved, there can be no room for any error whatsoever.

“Imagine the chaos that could ensue if we allowed our machines to make even just the slightest of errors,” Morato said.

Yet, to his surprise, Morato said his proposal was flatly rejected. And indeed his point is worth pondering. Indeed the lotto machines cannot be allowed to make mistakes. And they are already everywhere, even in the remotest towns.

Why indeed were they not tapped for an exercise that was still considered experimental. Only after the process could have been perfected should the country have contracted for specific poll machines. Who knows, had Morato’s suggestion been taken, we would not be in this rut today.