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Philippine NGOs are Answer to Fraud Fears on Absentee Voting- NGOs - Global policy Forum Philippine NGOs are Answer to Fraud Fears on Absentee Voting
By Julie Javellana Santos
Arab News
October 19, 2002
Call it a leap of faith but while members of the ruling coalition of President Gloria Arroyo are worried about massive fraud if overseas Filipinos are allowed to vote, opposition senator Edgardo Angara and his allies seem unperturbed.
The unprecedented support shown by the Angara group for the Absentee Voting Bill shows a complete turnaround from the traditional stand of the Senate opposition over the past years.
In a recent forum, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Victoriano Lecaros warned of the danger that overseas voting could affect the foreign service into getting politicized. The implication of that, he said, is that some diplomat might get involved in supporting candidates, especially if they are placed under pressure by those in power.
Angara says the answer to this is the mobilization of community organizations abroad and non-government organizations (NGOs) in the Philippines to help monitor the ballot. Such organizations, Angara said, would form anti-fraud teams to complement the official efforts to fight fraud and manipulate election results.
Angara said, however, that NGOs are only part of the 35 safeguards against electoral fraud that have been incorporated into the Senate version of the AVB. This version, renamed the Overseas Filipinos Voting Act of 2002, has been passed on second reading in the Senate. It has also been passed in principle in the House of Representatives.
"The safeguards are more than adequate. And the overseas voters are vigilant and organized," said Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on electoral reforms that shepherded the passage of the Senate version. He said his faith that the system would work had become further strengthened after the public hearings held abroad by a joint committee of the Senate and House in March and April, which enabled them to get in close tough with tens of thousands of OFWs.
Senate minority leader Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr. had said votes by overseas Filipinos, estimated to reach 4 million, could provide a swing vote and a "cleansing" one because overseas Filipinos would be largely unaffected by vote-buying.
Of the 35 safeguards provided for in the measure the Senate had passed, nine of the provisions cover the registration process. A total of 11 provisions are focused on ensuring the security of the ballots and other election paraphernalia, said Angara. Four provisions cover safeguards in actual voting while nine others cover counting and canvass of votes. Two provisions cover the administrative and criminal sanctions on prohibited acts and violation of the election law.
Under the registration safeguards, for example, absentee voters have to be listed under a separate registry. A certificate of registration has to be appended for every application to vote on election day. A certified list of voters have also built-in safeguards against proxy voting or multiple voting, said Angara.
The ballots and other sensitive election documents will have adequate security markings and the number of ballots to be printed shall only correspond to the number of voters, he explained. Special Ballot Reception and Custody Groups, according to the Senate version, shall be formed and these will be responsible for receiving, delivering and taking custody of ballots.
Angara said the diplomatic and consular offices designated as voting sites are mandated to make a detailed listing and accounting of ballots distributed for submission to the Commission on Election. The Special Board of Canvassers for both counting and canvass of votes are to include officials or members of NGOs to promote transparency and non-partisanship.
"Every certificate of canvass has to be supported by a statement of votes," Angara said, adding that that the safeguards put in place at "every step of the process" represent the senate commitment to protecting the integrity of the absentee vote. Angara also lamented statements from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that the absentee voting measure cannot be implemented and has to be pilot-tested in some areas before its full-blown implementation. "Congress will provide the funds and after 15 years of waiting, overseas Filipinos have to vote in the 2004 elections," said Angara.
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