The Commission on Election or Comelec just recently proposed for a full automation of the upcoming 2010 Presidential Election. The proposed budget for the full automation of the national and local election is 11.3 billion with will be funded by the taxpayers money. The proposed budget was already approved by the House of Representatives and is currently in the House of Senate for their approval. According to Comelec chairman Jose Melo Jr., they need the said budget as early as March this year so they can start the bidding and have the said equipments as soon as possible. But some senators like Francis Escudero and Juan Miguel Zubiri has questioned the Comelec in the hearing of they can assure the Filipino people that there will be no cheating if the election will be fully automated. But chaiman Josel Melo Jr. replied that there will be no assurance of a clean and honest election if it will automated specifically in human threats like rebels or any evil forces that will try to sabotage the election (specially in provinces like Maguindanao, Sulu and other Mindanao Provinces). Some of the political leaders and law experts doubt if the automation will materialize due to lack of time and unpreparedness in the part of the Comelec. Automation of election has been successfully done in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) election last August 11, 2008.
For me, automation of the election system in the Philippines is very promising as India is the only country in Asia to have a fully automated election system. Now is it applicable for our cause? Based on the hearing conducted by the senate committee as a whole, the Comelec seems not yet prepared for the automation. They seem can't provide the specifics with regards to the automation like the font size of the ballot and security features of the system. Time play a major factor here. If there will be no enough time for the full automation, then we stick to the manual system. The Comelec should not waste the taxpayers money in buying those equipment if they are not going to use it just like what the former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr did with the counting machines that are not used and until now we are still paying. The senate must weigh the cost and the benefit of having a full automation of election. They must be very careful in their decisions not like the House of Representatives which magically approved the said budget. I agree to what Sen. Francis Escudero remarked in the hearing that he cannot approve 11.3 billion budget for only one sitting.
The bidding of the contractor should also be done in public or any means where transparency and reliability of the bidding will be ensured to avoid corruption which is very obvious in this administration.
Automation of Election could be very good as far as security, reliability and speed of the election is concerned. But there must also factors to consider speially time if this is feasible for the country as of the moment. The fate of another Philippine history is in the hands of the House of the Senate and the President.
For me, automation of the election system in the Philippines is very promising as India is the only country in Asia to have a fully automated election system. Now is it applicable for our cause? Based on the hearing conducted by the senate committee as a whole, the Comelec seems not yet prepared for the automation. They seem can't provide the specifics with regards to the automation like the font size of the ballot and security features of the system. Time play a major factor here. If there will be no enough time for the full automation, then we stick to the manual system. The Comelec should not waste the taxpayers money in buying those equipment if they are not going to use it just like what the former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr did with the counting machines that are not used and until now we are still paying. The senate must weigh the cost and the benefit of having a full automation of election. They must be very careful in their decisions not like the House of Representatives which magically approved the said budget. I agree to what Sen. Francis Escudero remarked in the hearing that he cannot approve 11.3 billion budget for only one sitting.
The bidding of the contractor should also be done in public or any means where transparency and reliability of the bidding will be ensured to avoid corruption which is very obvious in this administration.
Automation of Election could be very good as far as security, reliability and speed of the election is concerned. But there must also factors to consider speially time if this is feasible for the country as of the moment. The fate of another Philippine history is in the hands of the House of the Senate and the President.
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