Comelec timeline
Now fully constituted, the seven-man Commission on Elections (Comelec) headed by newly appointed chairman Andres Bautista briefed leaders and members of Congress on the poll body’s preparations for the presidential elections on May 9, 2016. The Comelec commissioners apprised members of both chambers of Congress on the status of the various activities of the poll body.
The Comelec commissioners first appeared at the House public hearing chaired by Capiz Rep. Fredinel Castro last Tuesday. On Thursday, they attended the public hearing of the joint congressional oversight on electoral process co-chaired by Sen.Koko Pimentel III and House Rep.Mel Sarmiento.
It will be the second time we will be having our presidential elections using automated voting and counting machines. That is, if the Comelec meets the timeline of activities it set to ensure the holding of elections as scheduled.
President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III is distinguished as the first president who started the automated elections using the so-called precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.
The Comelec used the same PCOS machines during the mid-term elections in May 2013.
The May national and local elections next year would be the third time elections would be automated. Again, that is if the Comelec could hurdle delays in its preparations, partly caused by the more than two months it took President Aquino to fill the three vacancies in the poll body.
Bautista and fellow newly appointed commissioners Rowena Guanzon and Sherif Abas immediately took their respective oaths before the Comelec en banc. Bautista buckled down to work without distractions from any opposition to his appointment. In fact, leaders and members of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) immediately gave signals the 51-year-old Comelec chairman will have easy sailing before the confirmation body.
On the other hand, the appointment of commissioners Guanzon and Abas came under fire. Questions were raised on possible partisan conflict since Guanzon, a former Cadiz mayor, belongs to President Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP).
Meanwhile, Abas’ purported relation to Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the negotiating panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), gave rise to suspicions his appointment could be part of the government’s unwritten deal with Muslim rebels group.
Bautista was quoted as saying that Abas confirmed to him he is a nephew of Iqbal. But the Comelec chief declined to speculate if Abas’ appointment to the Comelec has anything to do with the government’s peace deal with the MILF.
All Comelec commissioners are now appointees of President Aquino. Aside from Bautista, Guanzon and Abas, the rest of the Comelec en banc are Commissioners Al Parreño, Luie Guia, Arthur Lim and Christian Robert Lim. Thus, there are fears and concerns on the poll body’s partiality, especially in dealing with administration and opposition bets in the 2016 polls.
Barely a week into office, Bautista laid down his cards before lawmakers on how he intends to do his job to the best of his ability. Setting the tone of his leadership at the poll body for the next seven years, Bautista coined the acronym E.A.T. or Efficient, Accountable, Transparent Comelec.
Speaking before the Kapihan sa Manila Bay breakfast forum last Wednesday, Bautista impressed upon us he would strive his best to keep the poll body’s independence as a constitutional body by strictly sticking to his E.A.T. policy. Bautista swore they are not beholden to the appointing authority but only to the Filipino people.
“I am already accountable to the people and not with the President. I did not ask for the position, I think destiny brought me to the Comelec,” Bautista stressed.
Bautista conceded the biggest challenge of the Comelec is to get on with the public bidding on the procurement of PCOS machines in accordance with the Supreme Court (SC) ruling. To prevent further delays, Bautista disclosed they would hold two parallel biddings to meet the Comelec timeline.
According to Bautista, the first bidding would be for the 80,000 PCOS machines the Comelec earlier tried to procure through negotiated contract with Smartmatic, which the SC shot down. The second bidding, he said, would be for the purchase of 100,000 optical mark reader voting machines.
The two parallel biddings would take place at the same time and must be completed before end of July, the Comelec chief pointed out. Doing two parallel biddings, Bautista explained, would give the poll body more flexibility and fallback positions, or other options to pursue.
This is why he said he has not ruled out the third option of a hybrid election, or a combination of manual and automated as being pushed by certain poll watchdogs.
Bautista ruled out going back to manual elections, or worst, the scenario of no-election being fueled by groups opposed to the use of PCOS machines again.
The Comelec under former chairman Sixto Brillantes, issued a ruling that advanced to October the filing of certificates of candidacy. Given the very tight Comelec timeline, there is a big likelihood that the deadline for filing would be pushed back to its original schedule in December this year.
On the upcoming elections, former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson – who is among those touted to run for president – will be the featured guest of our Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Luneta Hotel on T.M. Kalaw St. in Manila on Wednesday. Lacson quit from the Aquino Cabinet as Yolanda rehabilitation czar last February. It was a move seen by political pundits as a precursor to his possible second bid for the presidency, or he may opt to run for vice president, or make a comeback at the Senate. Lacson may take the opportunity to announce his political plans in this week’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay. Come join us in this breakfast forum.
It will be the second time we will be having our presidential elections using automated voting and counting machines. That is, if the Comelec meets the timeline of activities it set to ensure the holding of elections as scheduled.