EDITORIAL - Defeating the purpose

Nearly a month after the elections, and barring any last-minute disruptions that might be provided by men in koala masks, the 14th Congress finally looks set to proclaim the new president and vice president. Following the voting trend originally announced by Chairman Jose Melo of the Commission on Elections, the winners are the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party, Sen. Benigno Aquino III, and the running mate of Joseph Estrada in the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Those results were announced by Melo less than three hours after the polling centers closed on May 10. That unprecedented feat was made possible by the automated election system, for which taxpayers shelled out at least P7.8 billion. Poll automation did not disappoint. After Melo’s announcement, and after the Comelec proclaimed all 12 winners in the Senate race in record time, it seemed like the days of the laborious, protracted manual vote count were over for good.

Unfortunately for the nation, the poll modernization program omitted including Congress, the body with the constitutional mandate to canvass the votes for president and vice president. And so the congressional canvass got off to a slow start, with all the usual melodrama that lawmakers could muster. The large sheets of paper on which the votes for each candidate were handwritten in ink were back. And it took a month after Melo announced the likely winners for the canvass to approach its end.

Manual canvassing, conducted by lawmakers who can’t resist grandstanding, defeated the purpose of automation. Complaints that should have been referred to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal were entertained. Whether lawmakers can manage to modernize their mindsets and canvassing system is open to debate, but the 15th Congress should make a convincing effort to change. The congressional canvassing has been excruciating for the nation to watch. It’s time for the next batch of lawmakers to enter the modern age.