MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo warned yesterday that a “hybrid” exercise of combined manual and automated counting of votes in next year’s polls would further disgrace the electoral process and allow cheating to continue.

Melo expressed concern that another scandal-ridden election like the 2004 presidential polls could occur again if the 2010 exercise is done manually.

He stressed the hybrid system of elections would resurrect “other Garcis and that is the great danger,” referring to former elections official Virgilio “Garci” Garcillano who was widely believed to have been responsible for rigging poll results in Mindanao in the 2004 presidential elections.

Melo said the Comelec is opposed to the proposal of lawmakers to use a combination of manual and automated systems because this would defeat the purpose of computerizing the polls.

“If we revert back to manual, even partial only, we would not be able to eliminate electoral fraud. Cheating will once again be easy to do,” Melo said.

He insisted full automation of elections is the only way to finally get rid of electoral fraud.

Melo pointed out the “hybrid” system, as proposed by some lawmakers, would also require another P2 billion, on top of the P11.3 billion allocation being requested by Comelec from Congress.

Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez led congressmen in proposing the hybrid system in the 2010 general elections.

Golez said Comelec should not totally abandon the use of the manual system since it is mandated in Republic Act 9369.

Golez proposed that the local elections – from councilors to congressmen – should be done manually while those for national elective positions should be automated.

To automate next year’s polls, the lawmakers wanted to amend the provisions of RA 9369 before allocating a separate budget to be used by Comelec.

Melo added that with the hybrid scheme, Comelec would still have to put up automating machines in each poll precinct and another sets of ballot boxes and other election paraphernalia for the manual voting.

“That would be more expensive. It would be like conducting two elections,” Melo pointed out.

Melo also expressed disappointment over the delay in the passage of the supplemental budget that would finance the automation of next year’s much-anticipated elections.

Source: http://Philstar.com