by magnolia_eic | May 7, 2010 | Election 2010, Headlines, National News
Manila, Philippines – Automated elections nationwide will push through this Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday with renewed optimism after the machine passed a second round of tests.
The results of testing PCOS machines in Metro Manila, showed a 100 percent match of manual and machine counts of votes.
Melo added however that manual counting should be held only in small municipalities where in case of a malfunction, a spare one is not immediately available.
Click here for full article from Philippine Star
by magnolia_eic | May 7, 2010 | Announcements, Election 2010, Headlines, National News
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is calling on all candidates for this Monday’s election not to be sore losers and to accept defeat graciously.
CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar said that candidates should learn to accept their defeat incase they don’t win the National and Local Elections on Monday.
It may be recalled that a presidential candidate said only a failure of the automated election system will make him lose the race to Malacanang due to his strong showing in almost all pre-election surveys.
Ochimar also reminded candidates not to practice vote-buying by letting the electorate freely choose their own candidates.
The prelate also added that the people should not believe everything that they hear, especially those that feed on their fears such as the failure of elections.
Click here for full article from the Manila Bulletin
by magnolia_eic | May 7, 2010 | Election 2010, Headlines, National News
Manila, Philippines – PMP Vice- presidentiable Jejomar Binay has tied Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas in the race according to the latest poll surveys of SWS.
Binay reacts by saying he expects his ratings to go higher. In the SWS survey of 2,400 voters from May 2 to 3, support for Binay jumped 12 points, from 25 percent in April to 37 percent. Roxas’ rating fell two points, from 39 to 37 percent.
Sen. Loren Legarda, the NP vice presidentiable suffered a 12-point plunge, from 24 to 12 percent.
The full report of the survey will be first printed in BusinessWorld.
Click here for full article from Inquirer.net
by magnolia_eic | May 6, 2010 | Election 2010, Headlines, National News
Malacañang laughed off what it calls “creative speculation” to elevate fears of an the president clinging on to power after May 10.
According to Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar in radio reports, “Oplan Rafael,” or the acronym for “Retain Arroyo through Failure of Elections,” as claimed by a militant party list, is a concoction by creative cause oriented groups who could not present evidence.
Olivar maintained the speculation is baseless in as much as Mrs. Arroyo is already running for a congressional seat in Pampanga.
Few days ago, militant group Bayan Muna claimed the malfunctioning of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines for the May 10 polls are part of “Oplan Rafael.”
The Commission on Elections, however, insisted the May 10 polls will push through as scheduled, after tracing the problem to improperly programmed memory cards.
Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo cited supposedly ominous signs like Defense chief Norberto Gonzales Jr.’s reported warning about a failure of elections and “unresolved” automation problems.
But Olivar pointed out Mrs. Arroyo is already campaigning for a congressional seat in her home province of Pampanga. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | May 6, 2010 | Election 2010, Headlines, National News
A case of Kamag-anak Incorporated is now tagged behind the positive surveys showing Presidential candidate Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino leading the race.
Kamag-anak incorporated was a taunt referring to former president Corazon Aquino’s advisers and relatives occupying key government positions.
According to Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) senatorial candidate Francisco Kit Tatad in reports, relatives and close associates of Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate “Noynoy” Aquino are directing behind the scenes the surveys being conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia.
Philippine Star bared that Tatad cited research paper and documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), showing members of the Aquino clan and former associates of the late President Corazon Aquino as directors and stockholders of SWS and Pulse Asia.
Among those named in the SEC documents and research papers were Rafael Cojuangco Lopa and Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco.
Lopa was director and president of Pulse Asia until last year when he resigned to camouflage the firm’s support for Aquino’s bid for the presidency. Cojuangco on the other hand bankrolled the setting up of Pulse Asia in 1990.
Tatad also said it is unusual that former Public Works secretary Jose de Jesus (under the Aquino administration) is an incorporator and director in both Pulse Asia and the SWS.
“This suggests that there was a plan from the beginning by the Aquinos to control public opinion polling in the country,” Tatad said.
by magnolia_eic | May 6, 2010 | Election 2010, National News
THE government is throwing all its support to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in its efforts to make the country’s first automated elections a success.
In a statement , Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo said the unwavering concerted support of the government and the people for the Comelec is crucial.
“The Comelec can count on all the instrumentalities of government to safeguard our democratic processes,” Saludo said in the wake of reports about certain technical problems being encountered during the testing of vote-counting machines or the so-called precinct count optical scans (PCOS).
In related development, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has directed Secretary Ray Anthony Chua of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology [CICT], to assist the Comelec on the technical hitches being encountered in the PCOS test runs.
“This may not just a problem of people but also of machines,” Press Undersecretary for Operations and Deputy Presidential Spokesman Rogelio Peyuan pointed out in yesterday’s regular press briefing in Malacanang.
Peyuan said the President had asked Chua to provide technical support to the Comelec and help provide alternative solutions, if any, to the problems with the PCOS machines.
He said Chua has been in constant dialogue with the technical experts of Comelec and SmartMatic.
Being one of those in the panel that reviewed the entire technical aspects of the poll automation project, Chua is in a better position to update the President on the actual situation, said Peyuan. (PIA-Bohol)
