EDITORIAL
The May 2016 elections will be automated, at
least for now.
The
Commission on Elections last week ruled against manual voting and narrowed down
to two the possible choices of machines that would be used in the 2016
elections.
This, after
the commission en banc specifically said that the May polls next year will
automate and manual elections is not being considered for now, according to
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said. Jimenez noted that discussions are not
yet over but the commission has agreed on only two options.
In a
meeting, he said, the poll body has decided to hold a public bidding either for
the refurbishment of the old precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines or for
the purchase of new optical mark reader (OMR) machines.
“Either way,
the commission will be conducting bidding,” he added. The possibility of
reverting to manual voting for the coming elections came up after the Supreme
Court junked the contract between the poll body and Smartmatic for the
refurbishment of old PCOS machines.
Lawmakers
and other sectors, however, called on the Comelec to look for an alternative
and acceptable plan for 2016.
Jimenez gave
assurance that the Comelec would still have sufficient time in case the final
decision would be to bid out the refurbishment of the old PCOS machines.
The bidding
would take only a month or two, while the refurbishment would require about
five months, he said.
In case the
poll body rules in favor of buying new OMR machines, Jimenez said they would be
purchasing 63,000 units.
There is an
ongoing bidding for 23,000 OMRs and Jimenez said the poll body would have to
initiate a new bidding for 63,000 additional machines.
Meanwhile,
the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) urged the House of
Representatives to approve pending House Bill 5412, or the Election Service
Reform Act.
Rona Ann
Caritos, LENTE acting executive director, said the proposed measure would make
election service for public school teachers non-compulsory.
Caritos said
this would give them the choice whether or not to serve as poll watchers during
the polls.
The bill
would also provide institutionalized benefits, legal assistance and service
incentive leaves for those serving as board of election inspectors (BEIs), she added.
“They are
committed to serve, but what these teachers want is the freedom to choose
whether to serve or not,” she said, noting that some teachers were afraid to
commit themselves as BEIs in areas with security issues.
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