Poll automation will prevent cheating -- Gordon

INDEPENDENT Senator Richard Gordon remains optimistic that automating the May 2010 presidential elections would thwart any plans of “cheating scholars” to manipulate the results and steal the elections.

Gordon, author of Republic Act (RA) 9369 or the amended Automated Elections System Law, said going back to manual elections would only benefit these “cheating scholars” or the devious individuals who have become so adept at rigging election results.

“Massive cheating has marred every past elections in this country that these individuals have had time to perfect their craft and gained Ph.Ds in election cheating,” he said.

For more than four years, Gordon had been pushing for the election automation that would modernize the country’s already-antiquated electoral system and eradicate wholesale cheating that has marred past elections.

RA 9369 called for the pilot testing of automated elections systems prior to its implementation in a national election -- the next being the 2010 elections.

Its pilot testing during the 2007 national elections had been stonewalled by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), citing the lack of sufficient time for preparations.

Undeterred and unwilling to take no for an answer, Gordon steadily pushed for the pilot testing of the automated elections system during the August 2008 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and succeeded. Results of the ARMM elections were released in a matter of hours.

Gordon pointed out that ‘cheating scholars’ would not get the chance to easily carry out their sinister plans of manipulating the elections since it would be a different ballgame with a new set of rules.

“An automated elections would be a new terrain for these ‘cheating scholars.’ It is still uncharted, hence they will not be able to employ their usual modus operandi,” he said. By: Marlon Purificacion - Journal online

Gordon urges change of Mindanao image

INDEPENDENT Senator Richard Gordon urged local executives from Mindanao to turn around the negative image of the region from being the “Wild West of the Philippines” into a premier tourist destination with its unique history and culture.

At the same time, Gordon said that they will abide by the “no ransom policy” in the latest Sulu kidnapping involving three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He also appealed to the kidnappers not to hurt the victims Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba.

In a meeting with officials of the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Region 12 and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Gordon said with good governance, Mindanao’s poor image would soon be a thing of the past.

“There is no governance in area. Schools are decrepit; roads are bad; farm-to-market roads are non-existent and there is no focus on helping them solving their problem, or empowering them so they can conquer their own selves,” he said.

The senator said that it is a question of assertion on the part of the regional government to make it a point to put their resources, energy and focus to promote genuine change, continuity and closure to the perennial problems in Mindanao.

Mindanao has gained a negative reputation in the international media as the country’s “Wild, Wild West” due to the continued spate of kidnappings, sporadic bombings, and the poor peace and order situation.

The Senate tourism committee chairman also pointed out that the people of Mindanao should not wait for the national government, which is thousands of miles away, to take the initial steps towards lasting peace and development of Mindanao.

“You should define what Mindanao is and assert yourselves as a people. Manila is never going to solve it for us. It is never going to be a solution. Mindanao should be self-sufficient,” he said. By: Marlon Purificacion - Journal online

Malls, other public places to serve as polling centers

Manila Bulletin

Shopping malls and other similar public places would serve as polling centers in the future where voters can cast their votes as easy as withdrawing cash form an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

In a forum over the weekend, Sen. Richard J. Gordon said voters will no longer have to troop to the provinces to vote.

“In the future, one only has to go to the mall, find an automated polling machine, and cast his or her vote. The idea is they can vote only once. If they do that in other machines, they will immediately be barred to vote again,” said Gordon, author of the automated elections law.

Gordon expressed confidence that the experience in the autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) can be replicated in the next elections in 2010.

The automated elections in ARMM were successful despite the unstable security situation, inadequate communication and transportation infrastructure, as well as the prevalence of illiteracy and widespread poverty in the region.

Gordon noted that despite the lack of time for massive voter education, the voters in Maguindanao generally described their voting experience as “easy and amazing.”

Vince Dizon, spokesman for Smartmatic-Sahi, the company which provided the technology used in the ARMM polls, said the success of the pilot test in Maguindanao proved that the country is ready for full automation come 2010 and beyond.

In the ARMM automated elections, more than 2,000 teachers in Maguindanao had a first-hand experience in using the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) machines in the voting and counting process.

“It was Sen. Gordon’s efforts in the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on election automation that pushed the Comelec to ensure automation of the ARMM elections. We owe it to him that we were able to successfully pilot test the technologies in preparation for the 2010 national elections,” Dizon, who was at the same forum, said.

No poll automation, No automation – Gordon

MANILA, Philippines - An administration senator on Thursday warned Elections chair Jose Melo that failure to computerize the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) would cost him his confirmation at the Commission on Appointments. In a statement posted on the website of the Philippine Senate, Senator Richard Gordon said Melo would not be fit to chair the Commission on Elections without an automated ARMM polls in August."Melo has no right to be Comelec chairman if he would not be able to automate the ARMM polls.

Republic Act No. 9369 had already done away with requirements that make it difficult to automate the elections and opened up the possibility of using different automated polling machines," Gordon said. "If Melo does not implement poll automation, should people think that he has capitulated to the dictates of those who protect systematized electoral fraud?" added Gordon, who heads the jointcongressional oversight committee on automated election system.

On Wednesday, Melo was quoted as saying that the planned automation of the Aug. 11 ARMM elections might not push through because of time constraints.He said that until now, there is still no bidder declared "successful" to supply the direct recording electronic (DRE) and the optical mark reader (OMR) technologies that the Comelec wants to use to modernize the ARMM polls.The ARMM is composed of six provinces namely Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

But Gordon reiterated that the government can buy two computers for every precinct in ARMM to be used for automated polls.After election, the polling software can be removed to be re-installed for use in the succeeding elections.

Meanwhile, the computers can be turned over to schools all over the ARMM."We are not only giving ARMM clean elections but also allowing its children to take advantage of up-to-date teaching methods, helping them secure hope for a peaceful and prosperous future," he said."

Automating the ARMM elections is crucial to automating our national elections in 2010. Without it, we will face the consequences of fraud-ridden elections yet again. Kung hindi natin magagawa sa ARMM ang poll automation at hindi ito magagawa sa buong bansa sa 2010, magaganap na naman ang 'Hello, Garci' at 'Hello, Bedol (If we cannot implement poll automation in ARMM now, and nationwide by 2010, we will have another Hello, Garci and Hello, Bedol),'" said Gordon.Gordon was referring to the alleged vote rigging scandals involving former Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and poll provincial supervisor Lintang Bedol.

Gordon likewise stressed that the true interest of poll automation is to make sure that the vote of the poor equals the vote of the rich.He emphasized that computerizing the ARMM elections in August is vital in rebuilding the credibility of the nation's democratic system and empowering the people to rightfully choose their leaders."We are fighting a war on election fraud.

To fight a war, we have to act fast and act decisively, or else we will lose. Our people will lose. Automated elections should be working by now. We want to end cheating in elections. If we do not modernize our electoral system now, will we wait until 2013? How long will it take? If we don't fix this now, people will always question the elections," he said.Earlier, Comelec held a bidding for DRE but only one supplier had qualified in the eligibility requirements, while the applications for bids for OMR were accepted by the agency only last April 1.

Melo said the Comelec is set to consult the Advisory Council on Poll Automation to determine if the lone bid submitted for DRE "can be considered as satisfactory as a successful bid." - GMANews.TV