Namfrel finally gets Comelec accreditation

The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) finally got its accreditation to serve as the citizens’ arm of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) almost two weeks before the May 13 elections.

Namfrel made public on Thursday a Comelec en banc resolution that accredited it as a civil society participant in the poll body’s random manual audit, which means it would be given the 27th copy of the election results generated by the vote counting machines.

Election data

Namfrel national chair and former Comelec Commissioner Gus Lagman said Namfrel was asking for another accreditation for the group that would allow it to have access to several election data.

This would be used to design and maintain an “open election data website” to increase the transparency of the results and to detect fraud, Namfrel said.

The election watchdog is also requesting electronic copies of the certificate of canvass and statement of votes.

Official proclamation

Namfrel treasurer Lito Averia said these would allow the public to track election results even as the votes were being canvassed, and to monitor the official proclamation of winning candidates.

The Comelec has yet to explain Namfrel’s late accreditation, given that another citizens’ arm, the Church-based Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, had its accreditation approved in January.