Do we trust the PCOS?

Happy Easter to all.

Today is the greatest event in the Catholic Calendar, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who sacrificed and died for the salvation of  sins. Let us rejoice as we welcome Jesus Christ into our world as a reminder that he  died to save people from damnation.

Many of  the faithful think of Holy Week as vacation time instead of spending  time  in prayer and meditation. Many go to the beach or go home to the province for a  family reunion although many still observe  religious traditions.

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What is happening to the recount of  ballots in  Compostela town is a revelation especially  with the May 13 election near. In the recount,  former Mayor Ritchie Wagas is leading over Mayor Joel Quiño which poses contrary results to the tally from the PCOS machine in the 2010 election.

This could cast doubt over the integrity and credibility of the PCOS machine that will be used again in May.  It’s reasonable to demand that the Comelec re-examine the use of the PCOS machine.

Political parties like the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) and even the Liberal Party (LP) should be vigilant given this development. With more reason  candidates and political parties should be more vigilant in safeguarding their votes.

With the Comelec  pressured to assure the PCOs machine is foolproof  for use in the  May 2013 election, the poll body should explain how this Compostela experience is happening especially after  Comelec chairman Sixto Brilliantes  assured that the optical scanner can’t  be manipulated by unscrupulous parties to cheat.

I think  political parties should tap IT  experts to look into this. The Compostela experience should  open the Comelec to more stringent scrutiny.    We shouldn’t be complacent about 100 percent reliability of the  PCOS machine and should learn  from this.

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The campaign period for congressional and local elections officially started on March 29 so we shouldn’t be surprised to see political parties and their candidates hitting the trail like there’s no tomorrow.

In both Cebu  city and  province, the  seats are hotly contested.  It’s  Team Rama versus the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) in the city and for the province, the main battle is between One Cebu and Liberal Party.

I expect results will show wins with slight margins with the incumbents enjoying a  precarious edge.

Good luck to all candidates and we hope the parties don’t  employ vote buying and manipulating of the PCOS machine.

We also pray that voters won’t  allow themselves to be bought by corrupt parties who aim to win the election at all costs

Let us all pray that the May 13 polls are  peaceful and orderly, that we will no longer experience the bedlam of the 2010 election  where many  failed to vote because they were discouraged by  long lines at the election precinct. God bless the Philippines.