Palma: Plant the seeds for better community

Vote-buying, digital dagdag-bawas, and political dynasties.

These were among the electoral flaws cited in yesterday’s Summit on Credible Cebu Elections which the Archdiocese of Cebu organized to prepare for the May 13 polls.

“Despite what happened in the past, there is reason to believe. We believe we continue to plant the seeds for a better community, government, and people. At the end of the day, our gathering would not be in vain,” said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma

“Our gathering is more of a desire that something wonderful would happen. Deep in human hearts are many thirsts. We hope that every rising sun will bring us a better day and every tomorrow would bring the many things we pray for,” he added.

Palma spoke before over a thousand individuals from different walks of life who attended the summit at the Mariners’ Court in Cebu City yesterday.

Talks were given in teh morning with group workshops in the afternoon ending with 4 p.m. Mass.

Officials from the Commission of Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Education (DepEd) participated.

“We need to collaborate with each other. We need to discern. This is indeed an inspiring gathering. Despite the loopholes and limitations in the past elections, we’re still intact. We continue our journey towards a better tomorrow,” said Palma, who is also the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Amid apprehensions and doubts about the use of the Precinct Count Optical Scanner (PCOS) in the elections, Cebu provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba assured that the automated machines would not get hacked and manipulated in favor of a candidate.

“In order to hack the machine, you have to unlock it first and then deal with numerous number combinations. If you start hacking the machine now, I think the recipient of your manuevers will already die by the time you finish what you’re doing,” said Aba, drawing cheers and laughter from the audience.

Be on guard

He nonetheless urged the people to be on guard at all times.

“We must be very vigilant. Encourage the citizens arm like the C-Cimpel (Cebu Citizens’ Involvement and Maturation in People’s Empowerment and Liberation) to monitor the conduct elections. The success of the elections lies in our hands,” said Aba who assumed his post in Cebu two weeks ago.

He said the conduct of the local and national elections in Central Visayas in 2010 was “very successful” and that he hopes for a similiar record in the May 13 polls in Cebu which has 2,509,520 registered voters.

TEACHERS NEED HELP

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said the dream for credible and honest elections won’t happen quickly.

“Planting the seeds for a credible elections should start very, very early; as early as kinder and pre-school,” he said.

Luistro, who was among the speakers in yesterday’s summit, highlighted the role of public school teachers as “the vanguards during elections.”

“ They want honest and credible elections. But they are beset with pressures and threats,” he said.

He cited the case of Filomena Tatlonghari, a public school teacher in Batangas who was shot and killed by men who snatched the ballot boxes she tried to protect during the 1995 elections.

“I assure you 80 percent, if not 90 percent of the teachers who will serve during the elections have a heart of gold. Teachers are placed at great risk but have the least support. We have to do something to give courage to our teachers,” he said.

Luistro said DepEd will enter into three Memorandum of Agreements (MOA) with different government agencies in support of public school teachers.

He said they are seeking the assistance of the Integated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) to assist teachers who may get sued by candidates after the elections.

“Let us not forget our teachers after the elections. Some of them get sued and they use their own money to defend themselves against big politicians,” Luistro said.

The DepEd, he said, will also enter into a MOA with the Comelec for financial assistance to teachers. He said they will also tap the services of the police and Armed Forces of the Philippines to secure teachers when needed.

Close to half of the country’s teaching force will serve during the May 13 elections.

He said these teachers need all the assistance and support they can get.

“Take for example a Grade 3 public school teacher in a province. During elections, here comes a lawyer from Manila who will debate with her on the process of the elections. We request for prayers and support in the regions,” Luistro said.

He said DepEd has a task force to gather data on the problems and complaints arising from the conduct of the elections.

“I hope the leaders we elect are from the images we have in our heart. Cebu is at the center of our country. I hope your example will also beat in other places,” Luistro said.

Jaro, Iloilo Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Alminaza discussed concerns about vote buying, illegal campaign, disenfranchisement of voters, digital dagdag-bawas, political dynasty, and sectoral agenda.

“As pointed out by the CBCP, Philippine politics has been most hurtful to us as a people. It is the biggest obstacle to achieving full human development,” said Alminaza who is the head convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group.

He mentioned vote-buying and vote-selling with candidates trying to win “at any cost and by means.”

Based on a report, he said the amount given to Visayan voters by candidates in the 2010 elections ranged from P20 to P1,000. Aside from money, he said food items and job promises were also used to buy votes.

“Barangay leaders, youth leaders and even chapel leaders were hired and mobilized by candidates in buying votes,” Alminaza said.

He cited other irregularities such as illegal campaigning. Alminaza said many candidates violated the Fair Election Act rules on campaign spending.

“There are those who bribe journalists so they could land in the news. The candidates incur huge expenses,” he said.

Alminaza also mentioned the practice of candidates hauling voters before election day or “hakot” or preventing voters from casting their ballots.

“In the 2010 automated elections, there was massive disenfranchisement of voters due to long lines in clustered precincts and due to the malfunctioning of the PCOS machines,” he said.

Alminaza said “dagdag-bawas” remains a major concern amid observations of some IT experts that safeguards against electronic fraud were not adequate and effective in the 2010 elections.

“For example, there were problems with the source code review, encryption, digital signature, and rigorous testing. Compact Flash Card data manipulation during transmission was feared especially since the trasmitted election returns were not encrypted and not digitally signed,” he explained.

POLITICAL DYNASTIES

Alminaza didn’t fail to mention political dynasties in the country.

“In almost all parts of the country, from the national to local levels, elective positions are monopolized by a few families. The CBCP noted that political dynasties breed corruption and ineptitude,” he said.

He said lawmakers themeslves defy the 1987 Constitution by not following the mandate “to make an enabling law to ban political dynasties.”

Alminaza said there are presently 178 dominant political dynasties in the country of which 56 percent are “old elites” while 44 percent are new ones.

He noted that 73 members of the Ampatuan clan of Maguindanao are seeking different posts in the coming May 13 elections.

Alminaza said candidates, in their platforms of governance, should consider the needs of marginalized sectors such as farmers, fisherfolks, informal settlers, vendors, drivers, women, youth, and the elderly.

Urban poor groups are seeking an end to forced eviction, and displacement of livelihood of vendors and drivers. They want a program for housing, health, and education, he said.

A report by the People’s Movement for Change said there was a delay in the start of voting in the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu. On the other hand, there were reports that voting started earlier than the official time.

The group whose report was distributed to summit participants also said there were tampering of the PCOS seal. He said one PCOS machine in Cebu City had no security lock and was not properly sealed after testing.

The People’s Movement for Change also noted the problem of long lines leading to the voting centers, delays in the transmission of results, massive vote-buying especially in Lapu-Lapu City, and campaigning on election day.

“In politics, one can either be a saint or a sinner,” Bishop Alminaza said.