Why still consider costly hybrid voting system? Comelec told

SENATOR Francis “Chiz” Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, is wondering why the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is still considering the proposed hybrid voting system in 2016 when it would cost the government at least P16 billion.

No less than Comelec chairman Andres Bautista admitted that the hybrid system was more expensive than refurbishing the old precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines or purchasing new voting machines for the 2016 national elections.

READ: Hybrid polls to cost P16B–Comelec

“Hindi ko rin maintidihan. Gaya ng sabi ko from fully automated, magiging partially automated, partially manual tapos mas mahal pa? Hindi ko maunawaan yun,” Escudero said.

(I can’t also understand. As I said, from fully automated, it will become partially automated, partially manual and then it’s more expensive? I can’t understand that.)

“Kaya ang panawagan ko nga sa Comelec, sana timbangin nya nang husto at ikonsidera nila ang pagkakaroon pa rin sa pangatlong pagkakataon ng fully automated elections,” he said.

(That’s why I’m calling on the Comelec to seriously think about it and consider the holding of fully automated elections for the third time.)

Besides, Escudero said Comelec has no budget to spend for the hybrid system called the precinct automatic tallying system (Patas) wherein the voting and counting will be done manually, while the transmission and canvassing of ballots will be automated.

“Sa ngayon, walang ganung pera ang Comelec. Depende kung sila’y manghihingi sa budget na darating,” he said in an interview at the Senate on Thursday.

(Comelec does not have that money now. It depends if they will ask for funding from next year’s budget)

“Pero gaya ng sabi ko, sana i-explore ng Comelec ang full automated na system dahil para naman tayong tumatanda nang [paurong]. Nakakadalawang fully automated elections na tayo, biglang babalik tayo sa semi-manual, semi-automated, hindi naman yata dapat ganun yun,” he added.

Escudero said Comelec might not also have enough time to prepare for the 2016 elections if it would ask funding from Congress, which would start in September its deliberations on the proposed budget next year.

“Kami ang mag-approve ng budget pero ang bidding procedures, yung mga requirements ng batas sa pag-award, kailangang pang i-print yun lahat yun. Kailagangang way before the 2016 elections kaya yung decision nga at pagpasya kung ano ba talaga ang gagamitin nila, dapat gawin nila yun in the next couple of weeks, hindi na dapat umabot ng September yan pagharap sa budget namin,” he said.

(We will approve the budget but the bidding procedures, the requirements of the law to award [the contract] — you still have to print them. They have to decide what to do way before the 2016 elections — in the next couple of weeks but they should not wait until September to present to us the budget.)

The senator though believes that the Comelec has about P5 billion savings, which it could utilize to prepare for the 2016 polls.

“Hindi ko kayang diktahan at walang pwedeng dumikta sa Comelec kaugnay sa gagawin nila, decision nila yun bilang isang independent constitutional commission. Ang sa akin ay panukala at pagtanong kung bakit tayo babalik sa pinanggalingan natin noon,” Escudero added.