GOVERNMENT WORKERS STORM NPO, SEEK MORE TRANSPARENT BALLOT PRINTING PROCESS

Submitted by courage_phil on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 03:29.

Members of the Confederation for
Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) stormed
today the National Printing Office (NPO), to demand transparency in the ballot
printing process which began Monday.

 

Aimed at closely monitoring the ballot
printing, the trooping is part of the Balota Watch campaign of Kawani Kontra-Daya. The watchdog
believed that the COMELEC needs to disclose all information concerning the
automated elections system to dispel all uncertainties that beset the process.
“After the ‘Hello Garci’ incident in 2004, the COMELEC has already suffered
dismal trust ratings from the people. Its involvement in the alleged electoral
fraud that made Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo president remained unresolved. Several
instances favouring the Arroyo camp have intensified the public’s anxiety that
the poll body is at the mercy of Mrs. Arroyo,” expressed Kawani Kontra-Daya’s spokesperson Atty. Glenn Romano.  

 

COURAGE national president Ferdinand
Gaite echoed the state workers’ doubts over COMELEC’s excuse why the printing
of the ballots were delayed. “We are not convinced with Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal’s
statement that the said delay was only because of calibration adjustments. The
several postponements have already caused the people to worry that something
anomalous is happening. The poll body needs to release a detailed report of the
real status of the printing process,” said Gaite.

 

He also challenged COMELEC to make
public the test scanning of the printed ballots. “During the past field tests
in various precincts, a number of ballots were rejected by the PCOS machines.
The COMELEC needs to assure the people, as early as now, that this will not
happen come election day.

 

The militant employees aired their
concern that COMELEC might not meet the next deadlines that they have set. “Ballot printing pa nga lang, hindi na nila
maayos ang schedule. We do not even get any information if Smartmatic will
be penalized for the delays in the delivery of the PCOS machines. How can they
expect us to believe that the whole automated election process is still on the
right track? The COMELEC has still a lot of explaining to do to ease the
people’s fear for a possible failure of elections that will lead to Arroyo’s
perpetuation in power,” Gaite ended. #