NAMFREL SAYS
No more quick count with automated polls
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 11:29:00 10/11/2008
MANILA, Philippines—This early, the National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) is preparing for the 2010 elections.
According to new Ambassador Henrietta de Villa, Namfrel chair, the election watchdog would no longer be doing its usual “Quick Count” if the automation of the 2010 elections pushes through.
“The Quick Count would be obsolete with the automation of the elections. The automation has filled in the gap of elections like the usual prolonged proclamations,” De Villa told reporters at the Traders Hotel in Manila Friday.
If the automation of elections does not push through, De Villa said the Namfrel can set up a “Quick Count” system in as little as one month.
Without the “Quick Count,” De Villa said Namfrel would pursue monitoring of the automated elections and voter’s education.
“It will be a different Namfrel and the job would be difficult because we have to familiarize ourselves with another system. That is why we are doing it this early,” De Villa said.
Based on her experience in Mindanao in the last elections, De Villa said she was confident the automation of elections would work towards a more credible electoral process.
The Comelec has asked for P21 billion to implement an automated system that may use the optical mark reader (OMR) and the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems. De Villa said Namfrel prefers the DRE because it completely eliminates human intervention.
The Namfrel held its first conference-workshop Friday titled “Namfrel in the 3rd Millenium: Its Role in the 2010 Election.”
|
