Press Release
January 29, 2006
GORDON PUSHES FOR URGENT MODERNIZATION OF BALLOT-COUNTING TECHNOLOGY
Senator Richard Gordon reiterated today his call for the urgent
modernization of the countrys electoral system before starting
discussions on Charter Change as he emphasized that the present
political crisis facing the country today is rooted in our
electoral system.
A number of electoral exercises that we've had have been punctuated
with allegations of cheating. People always doubt the results
perhaps because of colonial, presidential, and other human
intervention involved in the whole electoral process Some of these
charges even went up to court and we have seen how some went as far
as demanding for the recount of votes which took years to finish. It
is high time that we seriously and genuinely address and resolve
this concern lest people will continue to question and challenge the
integrity and credibility of our electoral system, he said.
Gordon, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional
Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws which has jurisdiction on
election laws, said that the second Senate hearing aimed at
discussing the Philippine electoral system is scheduled tomorrow, 30
January. He expressed hope that the heads of the various government
agencies who will attend the discussion will unanimously agree in
the urgent need for election modernization in time for the 2007
local and national polls.
There are numerous attempts to push for Charter Change which they
perceive as the solution for the various political issues that we
are confronting but the truth is that this does not and will not fix
the problem, pronounced Gordon adding that, the electoral system
is the basic foundation of a functional democracy. Reforming COMELEC
and the electoral system is a condition sine qua non to charter
change.
Since after his visit to India late last year to speak at the World
Economic Forum in New Delhi, Gordon has repeatedly pronounced that
the Philippines should seriously look into the electoral system of
the said South Asian country which he praised for having fast and
efficient counting of electoral ballots.
Gordon said Indias elections, participated in by more than 600
million voters, are known and finalized within just about two days.
He also cited the voting system in the United States which utilizes
a machine that employs a touch-screen, for those who cannot write,
and which automatically shuts down at the end of the day.
There is no reason why we cannot adopt these technologies. With
minimal human intervention in counting and canvassing, and speedy
transmission of election results, we can eliminate the doubt that
always hangs over every election exercise in this country, Gordon
said adding, our goal is simple: fast, clean, and honest elections.
For that we need a modernized electoral system that guarantees and
secures the choice of the people. |