Upcoming Election

 Comelec brass sees better 2013 elections


By May Anne Cacdac

Saturday, December 1, 2012

TAGAYTAY CITY -- Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rene Sarmiento anticipates a better conduct of automated elections this second time around.

Speaking before select media from Luzon during the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism initiated seminar on the election coverage, Sarmiento stressed moves by the Comelec are being made to ensure credible and peaceful elections on May 13, 2013.

“Noteworthy is the recent creation of the Comelec’s Campaign Finance Unit to oversee election campaign spending and see to it that laws governing fiscal related matters covering elections are strictly followed,” Sarmiento said.

Comelec Resolution 9476 outlines a new set of rules and regulations on electoral contributions, expenditures and procedures and states the CFU will receive and evaluate the candidates’ statement of expenditures and their contributors’ disclosure of campaign donations.

Apart from the CFU, Sarmiento also underscored the re-registration of voters and the cleansing of the voters’ list in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao where bulk of the cheating during the last elections.

“This is apart from the offsite registrations Comelec conducted to accommodate more Persons with Disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and even detainees,” Sarmiento added.

The commissioner noted a decrease in PWD voters during the first automated elections but stressed Comeleec is coordinating with the Dpartment of Public Works and Highways to provide ramps in polling places to accommodate PWDs.

The Comelec also had a command conference with key officers of the Philippine National Police to lay out security plans before, during and even after the May 2013 elections.

“The election is truly a complex process which entails a web of human resources, technology, facilities and materials. There were doomsday prophecies of the failure of elections in 2010 but leave it to the Filipinos to prove themselves and the world wrong. There were lessons to be learned and from there we can move on,” Sarmiento said in closing.

 Reflection 

Hindi na bago ang magkaroon ng dayaan tuwiing eleksyon. Marami nang nagyaring aksidente tuwing bumoboto na ang mga mamamayan. Ngayong panahon, na kung saan laganap ng ang mga makabagong teknolohiya, marami nang paraan upang maiwasan ang mga dayaan.Para sa akin, maganda ang hangarin ng COMELEC upang siguraduhin na magkakaroon ng maayos na halalan ngayong 2013. Ito ang gagawa ng kinabukasan ng bansa. Kung sino man ang manalo, nasa kanilang kamay ang ating bansa kaya karapat-dapat lang na bigyan ito ng malaking halaga. Pero kahit ano pa man ang gawin upang maiwasan ang kaguluhan at dayaan, magkakaroon parin ng paraan. Hindi maalis ito tuwing halalan. Maghahanap parin ng paraan ang mga gustong mandaya upang sila ay manalo.