Brillantes: Poll results may be known in 24 hours

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – With  a little “enhancement,” the result of the elections nationwide may be known  within just 24 hours starting next year, poll chairman  Sixto Brillantes Jr. said on Thursday.

Brillantes noted that during the 2010 presidential election, the result was known in 48 hours.

But in Metro Manila, he said, most winners  had been proclaimed in  just 24 hours.

“In 2010, we finished it in 48 hours. We might be able to do it less now,”  he told reporters at the Senate.

“In 2013, it might be a little faster perhaps in 24 hours we would know the winners if the enhancement  that we’re doing  would turn out right,”  Brillantes said.
Asked if that would be the fastest time the Comelec can  complete the election, the poll chief said, “Of course that’s the fastest. We can’t force the machine to go faster than that; it might explode.”

He declined to elaborate about the “enhancement”  that  the Comelec is pursuing to improve the system.

Unlike the United States,  Brillantes lamented the lack of “political  maturity” in the country and expressed doubts that this could be addressed anytime soon.

“The only reason that we can learn from the US election is that masyado silang mature compared sa atin. Tayo hindi tayo marunong  sumuko dito e.  Maski na natalo na, laban ng laban, (They are too mature compared with us. We don’t know  how to concede. We keep on contesting the results of the elections even if we already lost),” he said.

“Doon wala pang official results, based on news, nagko-concede na and yet the votes were very close. Ganun sila ka-mature sa pulitika.”

“Ito, tatlong taon na, nag-aaway pa tayo e. Darating na ang susunod na election wala pang nag ko-concede e. Political maturity, wala pa tayo nun. It takes time for us to learn,” Brillantes added.